Die Zauberflöte, 2007 Photo: J. Reeder

Review: Die Zauberflöte

"Flute is indeed magical"

The Times of Trenton (Anita Donovan)
Sunday, 7/22/07

It is not hard to believe that composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and music hall impresario Emmanuel Schikaneder were doing some late night tippling back in 1790 when they hit upon the germ of The Magic Flute.

There were several such "oriental" tales going around, and they were popular with the public. Mozart
always needed money and Schikaneder was ever in search of a hit.

From such high-flown principals came the operatic gem that still charms and puzzles audiences to this day.

After debuting July 13 at McCarter's Berlind Theatre, New Jersey Opera Theatre's spare but imaginative
rendition of Die Zauberflöte will complete a run of four performances on Saturday at 1 p.m.

The setting appears to be Egypt, as we run into worshippers of Isis and Osiris, but for the most part we are in a generic fairy tale "forest." The hero is, of course, a prince, Tamino. Fleeing from a serpent – cleverly rendered as both projection and action-figure – he is rescued by a trio of handmaidens to the Queen of the Night. They are seeking a hero to rescue the queen's daughter Pamina from the tyrannical Sarastro.

Tamino manfully undertakes the quest, armed with a magic flute that calms people's baser natures, and
accompanied by Papageno, a birdcatcher, who is not interested in knightly quests or heroism, but longs
very much for a girlfriend.

The twist to the plot is that Sarastro is the good guy, and the Queen of the Night, despite being portrayed
by the gorgeous and silver-throated soprano Colleen Daly, is the wicked one. What they are actually
disputing is never made clear, but Sarastro delivers some high-sounding pronouncements about good and evil, and everyone seems satisfied. Much has been said about the elements of Freemasonry in Flute, but the effect is more spoof than doctrinal.

New Jersey Opera's artistic director Scott Altman took on the stage direction of this production himself,
because, in his words, "I adore The Magic Flute." Having sung in the production, he executes some bright ideas that move the action briskly and make it accessible.

Most effective is the bilingual script, which sets the spoken dialogue of the piece in English and retains the original German for the arias. This arrangement aids comprehension, relieves the audience of straining to read surtitles, and leaves the musical elements undisturbed.

Set designer Mikiko Suzuki McAdams provides a set of panels that transform forest to temple and allow
swift entrances and exits. Lighting effects by Barry Steele and a panoply of glittering costumes by Patricia
Hibbert add to the glamour.

Finally, the magic of Flute is in the singing. Tenor Greg Warren is an earnest Tamino to soprano Kisma
Jordan's delicate and moving Pamina, and their voices are a fine match. Soprano Daly fires the audience
with her high-note pyrotechnics, and bass Matthew Curran takes command as Sarastro.

All seriousness aside, baritone Peter Couchman's Papageno seems to be having the most fun of all and steals the show while he's at it. As his bride Papagena, Melanie Long exudes perky charm. Lithe tenor Jacob Feldman adds comedy touches to the dastardly Monostatos.

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