Review: The Magic Flute
If you\’re looking for a boring opera, nothing\’s better than … the opera.
Usually.
Last night was different. We went to see The Magic Flute at The Ordway, and the only boring thing about it was when it reminded you of how boring other operas can be.
It helps if you don\’t think of it as an opera. Instead, think of it as a very long sitcom, with German singing.
The story is unusually ridiculous, and that\’s saying a lot, since most opera plots seem like they could have been put together in a blender.
But this one was particularly senseless: basically, the hero, Tamino, has to rescue the princess Pamina, who he loves limitlessly, despite their never having met. After reaching her, he decides to join the cult that captured her (they\’re analogous to the Freemasons). The two lovers survive the cult\’s initiation rite together, and the next morning Tamino is given leadership of the organization.
Meanwhile, Tamino\’s sidekick – half-bird, half-man – provides comic relief while searching for a girlfriend of his own.
It\’s not the plot, but the writing, that makes The Magic Flute so blissfully enjoyable. The production is laced with enough jokes, puns, one-liners, and sight-gags to rival a Marx brothers\’ film. And, best of all, some this happens in English.
The Magic Flute is different from most operas in that it has spoken (as opposed to sung) dialog. And those lines are spoken not only in English, but in an English that sounds modern and natural.
No fake pretentious English accents here. When the bird-man, Papageno, is encouraged to attempt the cult\’s death-defying initiation, he cracks back \”Death\’s not really my bag.\” And when he fakes illness to avoid another risky adventure, he claims to be getting the Asian Bird Flu.
It\’s clear the Minnesota Opera\’s production of this 200-year-old play has taken some liberties with the script. Some opera-goers may look on that as blasphemy; this is, after all, Mozart.
But what they\’ve really done is liberate the libretto. Rather than trapping the production in irrelevant details – this production breathes life into the old opera by not taking it too seriously.
And that\’s where Mr. Mozart deserves some credit. Regardless of how it\’s produced, I think this opera exudes silliness; that\’s what I like about it. The Magic Flute was written to entertain, with the knowledge that it needn\’t do much more than that.
The songs are brief (well, OK, they\’re still long, but in comparison, it\’s reasonable) and catchy, and the lyrics (translated in subtitles, for those who don\’t sprechen), are farcical. The stage design, lighting, and special effects are low-tech and thus, very creative.
It\’s a spectacle; funny, engaging, and light. And that\’s how opera\’s meant to be.
Or, that\’s how it\’s meant to be, to me.
Rush tickets go for $15. Get there about an hour before the box office opens. Playing now through May 23 at the Ordway Theater in downtown Saint Paul.