The Magic Flute review

Changes to the opera’s text, of course – for all kinds of reasons, some of them unarguable – are common. But this staging goes a good deal further than most. The problem is that the replacement material is less viable than what was there in the first place. Ditto alterations to Mozart’s score. One notable instance occurs with the character of Papageno, the audience’s chief point of contact with the piece. Even such a skilful stage artist as Quirijn de Lang cannot make Evans’ interpretation of the character as “masking a real, fundamental depression” work in the way that it needs to as the opera’s comic centre. Turning the vile Monostatos (solidly sung by Alun Rhys-Jenkins) into merely a tedious and pedantic teacher is equally ineffective.

Loren Elstein’s design, with its use of Matthew Forbes’ puppetry and Jake Wiltshire’s strip lighting, is clever (though we see way too much of the flying birds), but crucial moments requiring magic – the giant serpent, the trials of fire and water – are disappointing. Costumes seem to channel Harry Potter and computer games.

Musical foundations are, however, solid, with Paul Daniel conducting a light-on-its-feet performance and high-quality singing from Trystan Llŷr Griffiths’ elegant Tamino, Julia Sitkovetsky’s assured Queen of the Night and, especially, Raven McMillon’s flawlessly delivered Pamina. Jonathan Lemalu makes a lightweight Sarastro. Secondary roles and the trios of ladies and figures, here described as Young Ones, are strongly sung.