By DAVID DUPONT
BG Independent News
‘The Magic Flute” cuts right to the faint.
A prince, dressed like an Edwardian gent out for a stroll, is in peril from an enormous snake, and he faints.
He’s rescue by a trio of ladies, who bear a picture of a beautiful young woman who also it seems is in peril.
“This portrait is enchantingly beautiful,” Tamino (Jonathan Kroger) sings.
Tasked with rescuing her, he sets off accompanied by the bird catcher Papageno (Logan Gutierrez) putting the Mozart classic in motion.
The BGSU Opera Theatre and Department of Theatre and Film are bringing Mozart’s fantastic “The Magic Flute” to the Donnell stage Friday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 3 p.m. Tickets are $10 general admission. Click to purchase.
Katherine Pracht Phares directs with Kevin Bylsma as repetiteur snd chorus master, and Emily Freeman Brown as conductor and musical director.
Our prince Tamino (Jonathan Kroeger) finds his mission complicated by the hidden motives of the damsel’s mother, the Queen of the Night (Joicy Carvalho).
Pamina (Trinity Peace Hines-Anthony) is being held in the castle of Sarastro (Keith Phares), a sage philosopher ruler. He is holding the princess to keep her away from the evil influence of her mother, who is driven by a desire for revenge. He also protects her from Monostatos (Colleen Bur) the head slave who lusts after her. He promises that Tamino and Pamina can marry after a series of trials, directed by the Speaker (Aaron Roos).
Papageno goes along though he’s not at all interested in the enlightenment the trials will cultivate. He’s a simple soul who wants only food, wine, and a wife to share them with.
They are guided by three spirits (Aubrey Martin, Bella Mytinger, and Sara Murray), dressed like tikes from the storybook.
The Queen’s three consorts (Carolyn Anderson, Lindsay Uhrich, and Dani Hummel-Sass) are their counterparts who do their best to divert the heroes from their quest.
Each performer in each of the two trios imbues their character with their own personality.
This comes through when the three ladies come across the prone prince in the opening scene. Each tries to convince the others to leave her alone with Tamino.
The singing (in English) is strong and emotional. Hines-Anthony deals well with Pamina’s conflicting emotions — her love of Tamino and her desire to reunite with her mother. This comes to the fore when her mother presents her with a knife and asks her to murder Sarastro.
The voices of the queen and Sarastro show the contrast.
She is a coloratura whose voice rises into the stratosphere where words do not reside. Maybe inspired by the birds Papageno catches for her.
Phares’ voice dives into the depths reflecting the weight of his masculine thoughts. On several numbers, the university’s Men’s Chorus emerges in the auditorium and lends the full weight of their voices of the hymn-like evocations of the sun god Osiris. (The opera cannot quite escape the sexism of the male as the holder of reason and the female unable to control her emotions.)
The opera, backed by a full orchestra that highlights the characters and themes with an array of instrumental color. The scenic design by Kelly Mangan and lighting by Keith Hofacker use simple elements to create the fantastical environment. The costuming by Seung-A “Liz” Lee mixing contemporary clothing with the more ornate fanciful designs.
When Papageno’s intended bride Papagena (Maddy Depinet) reveals herself she wears a tight pink dress festooned with white flowers. The dress, Lee noted, afterward was recycled from a production of “Legally Blond.”
In the end, Tamino trades his hiking attire for a black suit as he joins the brotherhood of the temple and united with his love Pamina.
Papageno and Papagena are settled into their simple life.
The production even has Sarastro in the end extending a hand of friendship to the Queen of the Night so the opera to end on a high note.
