Review: THE MAGIC FLUTE at ASB Theatre, Aotea Centre

New Zealand Opera's new production of Mozart's final opera The Magic Flute is an absolute delight.

The Magic Flute (or Die Zauberflöte) tells the story of Prince Tamino's quest for his Princess Pamina through a fairytale dream-world where she is held captive by the wizard Sarastro. Aided by his impulsive companion Papageno and the magic flute given to him by The Queen of the Night, he sets off to rescue her and face the challenges set for him by Sarastro and the mysterious brotherhood. The story borrows elements from a range of sources and symbolism from Freemasonry (Mozart himself was a Freemason) and is mysterious and mystical in tone.

Director Sara Brodie has stayed true to the source material in setting, incorporating a steeply raked stage and an economical set that was very cleverly utilised, with stylised puppets evocative of that dreamlike non-reality of the story. The starry curtain at the beginning of the performance was a stroke of genius, beginning as dark as night as the orchestra began its first three chords, gradually building up to a brilliant gold (daytime) during the middle of the overture and slowly back down again to dark just before the curtain went up on the opening scene, setting forth the themes of light and dark, day and night, good and evil right from the start.

The opera is delivered in English in this production, rather than in the original German. The Magic Flute is unusual in that it is a 'Singspiel', that is to say there are spoken parts as well as sung, like so many musicals are. I am not usually a fan of having operas translated, however the fact that there is so much dialogue here makes this much less of a problem than it would be otherwise, and the diction of all the singers was so clear the surtitles provided above the stage were almost unnecessary. The translation itself was mostly excellent, it is very difficult to change lyrics without altering the music, the new words having to preserve the meaning of the old, fit the existing melody and rhyme scheme, maintain a 'play on words' wit, have to sound good aesthetically when sung, carry all the intentions of the characters and still make sense dramatically.

The singers here are really well cast and are strong across the board. Randall Bills's Tamino is an excellent Mozartian tenor with a beautiful and penetrating tone. Samuel Dundas's Papageno is delightfully human as comic relief and as always is an audience favourite. Emma Fraser's Pamina has a gorgeous sweetness to her tone and character, and Ruth Jenkins-Róbertsson's fearsome Queen of the Night has great warmth of tone and precision in this most demanding of roles. The chorus are also impressive in their choral work.

The Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra is raised high in the pit in front of the stage, as it would have appeared in Mozart's day. Consequently it is possible to have a clear view of conductor Wyn Davies throughout the performance, and witness the sheer joy and charisma he infuses the orchestra with. The smaller classical sized orchestra is also aided by this configuration, its wonderfully light and stylish Mozart playing was always in good balance with the singers onstage. There are also some tasteful electronic soundscapes designed by Jason Smith, ambient sounds such as birds and thunder that helped to bring the world on stage to life, never infringing upon the music.

The Magic Flute has always been considered to be a great introductory opera for people who have never been to an opera before, and this particular production is excellent. Mozart's music is sublime and a real joy to hear, the characters, sets and costumes are fantastical and otherworldly, and they both enchant us and fire the imagination. Come along and be prepared to be carried away on this magical journey.

The Magic Flute is on in Wellington from May 28 - June 4 at the St James Theatre, and in Auckland from June 16-26 at the ASB Theatre in the Aotea Centre.