Words by Cyntia Sudomir
MozartÔÇÖs fairy tale with subversive symbolism comes to life once again at the Wales Millennium Centre, this time with Daisy EvansÔÇÖ contemporary twist.
In a nutshell, we follow Prince Tamino and the bird-catcher Papageno on a mission to retrieve Princess Pamina from Sarastro, the King of Day and PaminaÔÇÖs cerebral-celebratory father, who whisked her away from The Queen of the Night, PaminaÔÇÖs freedom-loving mother. After a series of trials, Tamino and Pamina are united in marriage and a balance is struck between the two antithetical modes of existence represented by the two monarchs. Papageno also manages to charm up a Papagena and receive his happy ending.
Now, where my opinion is concernedon this note (loose pun intended) I must address the elephant in the room. I am no opera connoisseur. In fact, Im a total plebe. Before this opportunity to review The Magic Flute came up, Id never even considered attending an opera. So be warned, I have no substantial frame of reference and my opinions (positive and negative) are just that; not gospel.
I appreciated EvansÔÇÖ re-plotting in an attempt to eliminate the racist and misogynistic tones present in the original Magic Flute. Nothing is lost by updating MonostatosÔÇÖ character from a Moorish, would-be rapist into an uppity tutor. EvansÔÇÖ reconstruction of the plot also does wonders for PaminaÔÇÖs character. In this version, Pamina is a visionary. She wishes for a better world. When Tamino seemingly rejects her, her aria is not merely the lament of a lover, but a young activist broken by her loverÔÇÖs betrayal of their shared worldly ideals.
What I found a bit baffling was the set design. During the interval, my boyfriend and I spoke about the overture. We were both baffled, albeit for different reasons. He hadnÔÇÖt read the programme nor ever heard of colour-blind casting, so had no clue that the white pig-tailed girl was actually young Pamina. I struggled following the overture because of the business created by the LED globes and batons. Whilst they were intended to signal our attention, I felt myself taken out of the experience and instead found myself focusing on the puppeteers.
One occasion where the set actually complemented the music, however, was during The Queen of the NightÔÇÖs famous revenge aria. Specs of white light framed Julia Sitkovetsky in a halo against a completely black backdrop as she delivered the only solo performance which gave me goosebumps that evening. Only equally awe inspiring was the work of the entire chorus harmonising.
And speaking of the chorus, after the performance had finished, I managed to speak with a (lovely!) member of the WNOÔÇÖs bass section, Alastair Moore. When I asked him why he thinks people should come to watch this production of The Magic Flute, he answered:
ÔÇÿBecause itÔÇÖs interesting. ItÔÇÖs about what it means to be human. It really tries to get to the bottom of contemporary anxietiesÔǪitÔÇÖs glorious.ÔÇÖ
And if that sounds like your cup of tea, then maybe get yourself a ticket this season. If not, why not go for the cultural experience? What IÔÇÖll say is that my hands hurt from clapping until the curtain fell.
