Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte or otherwise known as The Magic Flute was a fantasy masterpiece at the Lowry.
The production made by Opera North returned for its seventh revival the production, and there is a good reason for why this production has had so many returns.
It is a fantasy masterpiece; there is no psychological overinterpretation or dabbling with anything that isn’t there. Telling the story of Tamino, who, after being saved from a giant snake agrees to help the Queen of the Night by saving her daughter Pamina from the sorcerer Sarastro, all isn’t as it seems.
And in this production, the story unfolds in such an engaging, funny, and beautiful way.
The sets feature stunning colourful artwork and there are some brilliant puppets, and when the character Papageno is introduced, singing his first aria “Der Vogelfänger bin ich ja,” he is trying to catch a bird puppet – which is hilariously done.
Vito Priante takes on the role with great gusto and a warm voice.
Tuuli Takala as the Queen of the Night, absolutely stunned her aria in Act Two, “Der Hölle Rache,” one of the most famous of all time. She was slightly underwhelming in her first aria, to the point where the audience could hardly hear her.
But by the second act she had gathered some strength of voice and hit every note beautifully – as I was sat with goosebumps as her voice filled the theatre.
In this production, I want to make a mention of the ‘three boys’ played by young girls – who guide Tamino and Papageno.
Throughout the performance, they were all very enthusiastic and were so impressive with the notes and harmonies they could hold at such a young age – and when the three of them took their curtain call, they received one of the biggest cheers of the night.
This opera was originally performed in 1791, which raises some issues that need to be dealt with, especially with how it describes and represents women.
Women are described as only being able to fulfil her destiny with a man by her side, for example. It is tricky situation to handle and those were the moments when the temperature in the opera house seemed to drop a few degrees.
But better to have it included still so that there can be meaningful discussions around it, than edited out.
I very rarely say this, but in this instance it’s needed. This is a near-perfect production for this opera; it is beautiful, fantastical and fits the tone exactly right.
The opera is enjoyable to children, adults, everyone. I can’t think of anyone who couldn’t get enjoyment from this, whether it’s their first ever opera, or their thousandth – and with the cast it is an absolute pleasure to watch. It also makes it easy to follow and very accessible with the use of subtitles which were up on screens at either side of the stage.
I thought that was a nice touch and kept everyone in the loop especially through the songs, as I personally find opera singing beautiful to listen to but often hard to follow and understand what it is they are singing about.
Altogether it was a wonderful performance, and it would certainly be a show that is worth the watch for audiences where new to the genre or an expert.
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