Production Designer

Infiltrate the castle. Rescue the princess. Bring her home. That’s the mission that unites two unlikely allies: a dashing young prince and a bumbling bird-catcher, armed only with a set of magical musical instruments. Their journey into a world of sorcerers and serpents, spirits and secrets, takes an unexpected turn in The Magic Flute, a fairy-tale quest for love and wisdom.
Mozart’s final opera comes alive in an acclaimed, inventive production from Barrie Kosky and Suzanne Andrade, conjured from the topsy-turvy delights of silent cinema, 1920s cabaret, early Hollywood animation, and the illustrator Edward Gorey.
Music Director Eun Sun Kim takes us on a humanistic journey of awakening with some of the most sublime music ever written by Mozart.

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The Magic Flute

War Memorial Opera House

Everything in Barrie Kosky’s production of The Magic Flute seems like a fairytale and each subsequent idea is a proof of the director’s enormous sense of humour: the composer must have had a lot of fun working with Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s score. The red curtain opens to reveal nothing but a white screen where all the frolics will soon take place – the director will juggle elements of silent film, slapstick comedy and cartoon art. His collaborators, Suzanne Andrade and Paul Barritt, also known as “1927”, mixed film animation with live theatre. The effect is stunning. Papageno, the boisterous bumpkin portrayed here as a sad clown channelling Buster Keaton, gets drunk onstage in the company of pink elephants quaffing cocktails from flute glasses. The Queen of the Night is a huge spider, Monostatos appears as a pale vampire dressed as Count Dracula, while Pamina’s black wig with a fringe makes her look like Louise Brooks, the iconic silent film actress and dancer.

Esther Bialas

Production Designer

Events

Upcoming events

Dec 29, 2024 - Feb 1, 2025

The Magic Flute · Polish National Opera

Past events

May 30 - Jun 30, 2024

The Magic Flute · San Francisco Opera

About

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