The Magic Flute at The Theatre Royal, Nottingham.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s 1791 opera Die Zauberflöte (The Magic Flute) is billed as a magical fairytale in two acts. With Libretto by Emanuel Schikaneder, it was first performed at the Theatre Auf Der Wieden in Vienna, with Mozart himself conducting and Schikaneder in the lead role. It is said to be the ideal introduction to opera, which is just as well in my case as it’s only my third outing with the genre. This Opera North production, directed by James Brining is sung in English, with translation by Jeremy Sams. It uses what might be termed a ‘Wizard Of Oz style’ framing device, whereby what we are witnessing is shown from the outset to be a dream sequence packed full of fantasy and jeopardy. The dashing Prince Tamino is on a quest to find true love. With his new friend Papageno the bird-catcher by his side, and armed only with the titular magic flute, he must battle trials, tribulations and an evil sorcerer in order to rescue the imprisoned Pamina. When success seems just about possible, the Queen of the Night emerges to thwart the whole endeavour. However, as is oft the way, we are assured that nothing is quite as it seems.
Brining’s decision to present the story through a child’s imagination, as if it were a dream, is a stroke of genius. It helps us as an audience to engage with the fantasy when we might otherwise be inclined to write it off as far-fetched or beneath us. The design of this production very much leans into this concept and really adds to the trip-tastic sensation that we are trapped in the frenzied and outlandish subconscious machinations of a childhood dream-cum-nightmare. Lighting (Chris Davey) and video design (Douglas O’Connell) assist in creating spectacular special effects making it a truly whimsical visual feast. Colin Richmond’s costume and set design is similarly ingenious – right through from the rich and opulent to the comical and at times downright unexpected (c.f. lightsabers!). It is all here!
The Orchestra is huge – what a treat to behold and hear such a magnificent troupe of artistes under the skilled direction of Patrick Lange. I am a complete layman when it comes to the music of Mozart but my goodness, what a splendid sound they create together. Every moment captures the emotion of the action and perfectly punctuates it. The combination of singing and dialogue (the technical term I believe to be ‘Singspiel’ or ‘Folk Opera’) gives the overall feeling of being at a modern day musical. What stands out as a major difference however, is that there are no microphones this evening. These singers are filling this beautiful Victorian auditorium with their voices alone. This is a surprisingly powerful thing to behold, and serves to remind us that we are watching an ancient artform even though this is a very modern production. It is overwhelmingly joyous to watch performers who are at the top of their game in any field and this evening is no exception.
The role of Tamino is played by Trystan Llyr Griffiths who does a magnificent job of carrying the action with energy and personality. His voice is simply spectacular. Paired with Soraya Mafi’s passionate portrayal of Pamina, there are some musical moments which absolutely blow me away.
The Queen of the Night, who has what is arguably the most famous piece in the opera (‘Hells Vengeance Burns In My Heart’), is played by Anna Dennis. She absolutely nails this portrayal creating a noticeable chill in the auditorium and receives a very richly deserved round of applause after her crowd pleasing pièce de résistance!
A personal favourite character is that of Emyr Wyn Jones’ Papageno. He is delightfully watchable and has fantastic comedic physicality. A scene stealer in the best possible sense! I adore his comedy duet with Pasquale Orchard’s Papagena – it is fun and touching at the same time.
The story itself is packed full of familiar tropes – light versus darkness, good versus evil, truth versus misinformation. It feels safe and familiar while at the same time subversive. It is packed full of thought provoking allegorical symbolism. The 2 hours and 45 minutes whizz past (and I say that as one who becomes easily fidgety!) as we are led on a journey of discovery with Tamino – a journey from innocence, through despair to enlightenment and fulfilment. All of the highs and lows are here – both musically and metaphorically speaking. And in the final analysis, we are returned to the safety of where we began. Rest easy – harmony overcomes discord in every sense. I love it.
