Costume Designer

Production Designer

Few works have slipped from the programmes of German-language opera houses to the extent experienced by the operas of Albert Lortzing. Where works such as THE POACHER, THE ARMOURER and UNDINE were still fixtures in the repertoire only thirty years ago, they have now all but vanished from the calendars of theatre venues. Not even Lortzing’s greatest triumph, his comedy of errors CSAR AND CARPENTER (1837), has escaped the neglect – and this despite old chestnuts like the “Clog Dance” and the aria “Lebe wohl, mein flandrisch Mädchen.” Doubly surprising if you consider that this tale of Tsar Peter the Great, who strikes up a friendship with an army deserter with the exact same name while acquiring the skills of a carpenter incognito in a Dutch shipyard, was arguably one of the best musical comedies of its time, with Lortzing’s protagonists retaining all their relatable flaws and yearnings in the face of all their ups and downs. The young deserter, who just wants a quiet life, the feisty Marie, who’s determined to decide her own path, the Tsar with his thinly veiled leanings to violent domination, and van Bett as the mayor and a loveable caricature of a German bigwig… all these characters confer a timeless humanity on the comedy.

Csar and Carpenter

Deutsche Oper Berlin

Once upon a time, a prince awakens in a mysterious land with an even more mysterious task.  Armed with enchanted bells and (you guessed it) a magic flute, Prince Tamino sets off, bound and determined to rescue his lady love, the Princess Pamina—only to find that things aren’t what they seem, and the Queen of the Night who sent him on his quest just might be plotting his doom instead.

James Conlon ends his legendary tenure as LA Opera Music Director with the world's most popular opera in one of our most emblematic productions. Mozart's catchy melodies meet astonishing projected animations in our perennial crowd pleaser. Miles Mykkanen makes his LA Opera debut as Prince Tamino opposite Sydney Mancasola as the beautiful Pamina. Kyle Miller might just steal the show as the lovable sidekick Papageno, while Aigul  Khismatullina and Kwangchul Youn face off as the Queen of the Night and Sarastro.

The Magic Flute

The Music Center

“You’re so lucky: the cheese fell right on the macaroni!”
Figaro
Figaro is not only the barber, but also the life coach, matchmaker, and information center of Seville. At least, that's how he introduces himself, but what we experience in Rossini's opera casts doubt on this self-characterization: His strategies for the enamored Count Almaviva to establish contact with Rosina, jealously guarded by her guardian, fail from the outset—and when Figaro intervenes, things only get worse. A good premise for a turbulent comedy, which director Nicola Hümpel magnifies with two live cameras: The production presents us with a group of egotists trying to manipulate one another. Eager to always present themselves in the best possible light, they compete for the best positions in front of the cameras, which mercilessly magnify every errant facial expression and every hidden tension.

The Barber of Seville

Staatstheater Hannover

Prince Tamino must find Pamina, daughter of the Queen of the Night, who is being held captive by a tyrant. To help Tamino in this quest, the Queen entrusts him with a magic flute that will allow him to face all dangers. Accompanied by his new friend, the birdcatcher Papageno, Tamino embarks on his adventure. He then discovers that Sarastro, who holds Pamina captive, has supposedly kidnapped the princess to protect her from her mother's evil spells. Whom to believe? How to distinguish truth from falsehood, good from evil, friend from foe? For Mozart, the heart must always be the compass! But before Tamino and Pamina can be together, they must overcome various obstacles and find their own path.

Lille Opera

A coming of age story and a story of love: The Queen of the Night persuades Prince Tamino to rescue her daughter Pamina from captivity under the high priest Sarastro. Tamino, who instantly falls in love with Pamina, is ready to set off. Involuntarily, bird catcher Papageno is also sent along with Tamino – as companion to the prince. After various trials of initiation, courage and perseverance Tamino and Papageno not only find their station in life as adults, but also each the woman to their hearts’ content: Tamino gains the hand of Pamina and Papageno lives happily ever after with his Papagena. We show the legendary Magic Flute of the Komische Oper Berlin, which director Barrie Kosky staged with the theater video art collective "1927" in an astonishing video animation world for the whole family.

Stuttgart Opera

The Queen of the Night asks Tamino to free Pamina from the clutches of the supposed villain Sarastro. And so, together with the bird catcher Papageno, he sets out to become a hero. But there are many surprises awaiting him on his adventurous rescue mission... Barrie Kosky's multimedia staging, which the director developed together with the British artists' collective “1927”, has long enjoyed cult status around the world. The imaginative interplay of scene, music and video animation elegantly transposes Mozart's opera into the present day.

German Oper am Rhein

In Barrie Kosky's production of The Magic Flute, everything is straight out of a fairy tale, and every idea demonstrates the director's immense sense of humor, who must have thoroughly enjoyed the music of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. When the red curtain opens, the audience sees only a white screen, where the frolics begin – the director imaginatively juggles, to the rhythm of Mozart's music, elements of silent film, slapstick comedy, and cartoon. The co-creators of this production – Suzanne Andrade and Paul Barritt of the "1927" ensemble – have combined film animation with live theater. The effect is dazzling. Here, Papageno, this bawdy simpleton, here portrayed as a sad clown in the style of Buster Keaton, gets drunk in the company of pink elephants honking cocktails from narrow glasses. The Queen of the Night is a giant spider, Monostatos appears as a pale vampire in a Count Dracula costume, and Pamina wears a black wig with fringe, which makes her resemble the actress and dancer Louise Brooks, a star of silent films.

Teatr Wielki - Polish National Opera

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.

Barrie Kosky's The Magic Flute takes us into its own fantastic world of images. Tamino falls in love with a portrait of Pamina and sets out to save her. Threatened by dragons, enchanted by pink elephants, dancing constellations and flying butterfly boys, The Magic Flute becomes a magical road movie on the way to true love.

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's opera seems to raise more puzzles and questions than it provides answers. It is not for nothing that the "title heroine" of this classic opera is an instrument - because in the end, only music seems to find the right language for the depths of basic human experiences before which logic and reason capitulate. The British theater troupe "1927" and Barrie Kosky tell the story with the help of projected animations as a living picture book in a "deliciously absurd mixture of silent and animated film." [BERLINER MORGENPOST]

Schiller Theater

A coming of age story and a story of love: The Queen of the Night persuades Prince Tamino to rescue her daughter Pamina from captivity under the high priest Sarastro. Tamino, who instantly falls in love with Pamina, is ready to set off. Involuntarily, bird catcher Papageno is also sent along with Tamino - as companion to the prince. After various trials of initiation, courage and perseverance Tamino and Papageno not only find their station in life as adults, but also each the woman to their hearts' content: Tamino gains the hand of Pamina and Papageno lives happily ever after with his Papagena. We show the legendary Magic Flute of the Komische Oper Berlin, which director Barrie Kosky staged with the theater video art collective "1927" in an astonishing video animation world for the whole family.

EPSG:4326

The Staatstheater Stuttgart

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.

War Memorial Opera House

What do we long for when we love? And can another person ever truly recognize our deepest desires – let alone fulfill them?

Costume Designer, Production Designer

Esther Bialas

Events

Upcoming events

Jan 4 - Jun 28, 2026

The Magic Flute · Staatsoper Stuttgart

Jun 20 - Jul 11, 2026

Csar and Carpenter · Deutsche Oper Berlin

Nov 28, 2026 - Feb 27, 2027

Hoffmann's Tales · Oper Köln

Past events

Jun 20 - Jul 11, 2026

Csar and Carpenter · Deutsche Oper Berlin

May 30 - Jun 21, 2026

The Magic Flute · LA Opera

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