Schikaneder and Mozart
Opera North
Grand Theatre, Leeds
27 September - 11 October 2024, also 12-22 February, 2025: 2 hours 45 minutes
(Performances on September 28, October 5 and 11, then February 12, 13, 15 and 22 in Leeds; November 8 and 9, then March 6 and 7 at Newcastle Theatre Royal; November 15 and 16, then March 13 and 14 at The Lowry, Salford; March 27 and 29 at the New Theatre, Hull)
This revival of the 2019 production by James Brining, artistic director and CEO of Leeds Playhouse, is the mainstay of Opera North’s season both this autumn and early next year.
It has a new cast and conductor, of course, and would be well worth giving a notice on those grounds alone, but it’s also interesting because Brining has supervised the revival himself and I think has made a few subtle changes along the way.
It's still presented with the same neat idea as before: the story of a monster, lots of magic, a beautiful maiden and noble prince, comical bird-man, very scary Queen of the Night and strange community of “the wise ones” is all a dream, seen by a little girl whose mum and dad have quarrelled. There’s a mimed adults’ party scene during the overture, as her nanny puts her to bed in the adjoining room, and as she sleeps some of the guests come to life as characters in her head. Who is on her side – powerful father or demanding mother? It’s a dilemma that’s always there in the story, and at the end Brining leaves us, as does Mozart, with the ultimate question unresolved.
Colin Richmond's design is imaginative and much supplemented by vivid video projection (Douglas O’Connell) on various parts of the set: that works well to create atmosphere, show the magic created by the flute of the title and evoke the “ordeals” by fire and water our hero (Tamino) and heroine (Pamina) must endure to find true happiness.
Last time round there were some puzzling details in the reinterpretation – the nasty figure of Monostatos (always a problem today, as originally he was a kind of negro slave who sang an aria about his lustful urges) was a repulsive old man; and the Brotherhood ruled over by benevolent despot Sarastro seemed to have neo-Nazi overtones and control of a convent of servile nuns. Those things have not been entirely obviated, but I think toned down a bit – perhaps with reason, as the show is to be offered in 2025 as “The Magic Flute Lite” with family and schools audiences in mind – and there’s a prominent place in the production for a children’s troupe which joins in the action.
The casting this time has a sure winner, as Papageno the bird-man in Emyr Wyn Jones – he’s Welsh and makes his Welshness part of the fun, and has a rounded baritone voice. Pamina is Claire Lees, a member of the Chorus of Opera North and an outstanding young performer, while Tamino is very well sung by a suitably princely Egor Zhuravskii. The Queen of the Night – the one with the stratospheric Fs – is Anna Dennis, undoubtedly a star in the making.
Conductor for most performances in the autumn run (not for three in November, though, including the two in Salford, where Oliver Rundell takes over) is Christoph Koncz, making his Opera North debut with great distinction and bringing both depth and life to the score.
More info and tickets here
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