By Kathryn Olsen
Salt Lake City‘s Capitol Theater is a familiar place to find a fantastical journey and it is currently home of Utah Opera‘s bold production of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart‘s The Magic Flute. This two-act opera originally premiered in Vienna in 1791 and has been beloved by many audiences since. There are half a dozen films based on it, several books, and it is even suggested that “O Canada” was influenced by the opening march of Act 2. Mozart’s operas often deal with high ideals or dark doings, outright hilarity or unmistakable tragedy. The Magic Flute blends all of these things with an unforgettable score and a beautiful libretto by Emanuel Schikaneder. I can remember seeing it when I was seven, but it has been years since I attended a performance of it; as a devoted Mozart enthusiast, I looked forward to seeing what Utah Opera had in store for this production.
Tamino (Andrew Stenson), the opera’s romantic lead, first appears dueling a fearsome dragon. He is saved by three ladies (Abigail Rethwisch, Melanie Ashkar, and Anne Maguire), who introduce themselves as loyal to the Queen of the Night (Celena Shafer). After admiring his virtues, they announce the arrival of their queen. This famous character then informs Tamino that her beloved daughter, Pamina (Zulimar Lopez-Hernandez), has been captured by the evil priest Sarastro (Matt Boehler); she begs him to rescue Pamina and expresses her faith in him before leaving him in the care of her ladies. It is at this point that Papageno (Joo Won Kang), a lovelorn bird-catcher, is assigned to be his servant on this epic quest. Three child-spirits help them along the way and Tamino is given the eponymous flute, which can calm even the most savage beast. The plot is complicated, however, by many details that the Queen failed to mention in her original aria and it becomes a moving story of good vs. evil and the power of various kinds of love.
Stenson is an ideal casting choice for an idealistic young hero. He is able to tackle moments of virtuous solemnity as well as the unlikely melodrama that is a trademark of Mozart’s comic operas.
Lopez-Hernandez fully commits herself to this same melodrama, but is expected to take it to more emotional extremes. The aria in which Pamina contemplates suicide because her beloved has given her the cold shoulder for one conversation is a clear overreaction to the preceding scene, but she conveys immense emotional weight.
The lovers’ most rational and wise moments are enabled by the wise counsel of the man who supposedly kidnapped Pamina and this task falls to Boehler. He plays Sarastro with infinite patience and confidence in wisdom. From the beginning, the audience expects him to be the antagonist, but by the end, Boehler is clearly the only option for the voice of reason.
Shafer, by contrast, excels in taking the zeal of her first aria into the madness that manifests in Act 2. She shines in her most complicated musical passages and is an effective addition to the ranks of sopranos who have tackled that role.
While Schafer’s role rides on her dramatic presence, Kang commands attention with his comedic timing. His character is one that never interprets a situation correctly and he plays it with sincere naïveté rather than seeming buffoonish. His eventual pairing with Papagena (Grace Kahl) is both sweet and unlikely and the fulfillment of the silly romantic ideas that he expresses in his solos.
It is unusual to find something new and intriguing about the staging of a 228-year-old opera, but Set Designer Thaddeus Strassberger, Costume Designer Susan Memmott Allred, and Wigs and Make-up Designer Kate Cassalino achieve just that. Production notes indicate Bollywood influences, which explain the Queen of the Night’s arrival on a flying camel and the three ladies being dressed in sarongs. There is a caste system to the ensemble, with the royal characters dressing in the style of English colonizers and some lesser characters dressing as those under their rule. The many settings demanded are accomplished with a multi-layer rock formation and movable screens. Conductor Thierry Fischer leads the orchestra with great attention to the needs of the cast, while Chorus Master Michaella Calzaretta ensures that the ensemble pieces are musically vibrant and technically sound.
The Magic Flute is an experience never to be missed and can be seen until March 17. There is no better time to join the Utah Opera in Salt Lake’s Capitol Theatre for an unforgettable production of plot twists and spectacular music.
Photos by: Dana Sohm/Utah Opera
Utah Opera Presents The Magic Flute, Libretto by Emanuel Schikaneder, Composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.
Capitol Theater 50 W 200 S, Salt Lake City, UT 84101
March 9-17, 2019 7:30 PM, Sun matinee 2:00 PM
Tickets: $36-109
Contact: 385-468-1010
Utah Opera Facebook Page
The Magic Flute Facebook Event Page
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