If you have ever attempted any serious singing in a choir or through lessons on your own, you will never ever forget the first time sight-singing Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart‘s music – I do not know if there are studies about this, but I strongly believe singing Mozart releases endorphins since my first attempts of Luci care, luci belle. Luckily for everyone else, my singing days outside the karaoke booth are long gone but my, I do appreciate a trained voice honouring a beautiful full score. And while everyone in the German-speaking world was raised in one way or another with Mozart’s Kleine Nachtmusik and the leitmotifs of Papageno and the Queen of the Night, tonight is the first time I see The Magic Flute full on stage.
Initially Die Zauberflöte premiered 1791 in Vienna when operas sung in German were still a relatively new thing, a trend pushed and initiated by Mozart himself. My favourite London stage here at Wilton’s Music Hall has turned for this performance in English into an urban jungle which could also fit Tomb Raider – The Musical or a stage adaption of Jumanji (neither does exist, right?). My seat in row F is excellent and proves my college acting teacher wrong who claimed opera singers were always terrible actors as they have to pull grimaces in order to sing loud enough to fill the room with their voice. Tonight I couldn’t disagree more; one can see the joy of the performance and its ever-pleasing music in all the performers’ facial impressions.
The voices are not letting us down either: No breathing gets in the way from the musical flow guiding through the comedy about an explorer in the tropics meeting a love-hungry bird catcher who then both fall in love with the same jungle princess and repeatedly cross paths with a fascinating parrot cult during their adventures. On stage, there is just the right amount of whimsical puppetry not to make it all about the laughs, an ethno punk witch winning over the audience despite her sinister plans and, as its 2025 and this should definitely be celebrated, upskirting prevention shorts. The music comes with the exception of some chirping crickets, panpipes and woodwinds from a busy single live piano.
Enthusiastic “bravos” at the end make the Charles Court Opera’s The Magic Flute a safe, satisfying tick off the stagy bucket list for all. I am whistling Papageno’s panpipe tunes along all morning the next day. And I am pretty sure I hear some birds responding: London is ready for the Spring !
**** out of 5 stars
The Magic Flute was written by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and is being performed in a new English version by John Savournin and David Eaton, playing at Wilton’s until 8 March – tickets from £10
Sadie takes the Stage 