Mozart’s Magic Flute closes out Seattle Opera season in superb fashion

By R.M. Campbell

Mozart’s “The Magic Flute” is a fairy-tale set in an exotic land with good and evil clearly laid out and all sorts of magic generously sprinkled throughout the piece. It has held the stage steadily since its premiere in Vienna in 1791. The production closes the company’s current season.

The first two performances this weekend at McCaw Hall were sold-out. The remaining seven should be, for the production is a comic book version rich in comedy, philosophy, strongly-drawn characters dressed fantastically, everything and everyone popping out in the usual places but not quite in the usual manner, thanks to stage direcor Chris Alexander, set designer Robert Dahlstrom with Robert Schaub, costume designer Zandra Rhodes and lighting designer Duane Schuler.

And, of course, there is some of Mozart’s most sublime and expressive music.

Originally Seattle Opera was not going to do a new production — too expensive. Alexander looked at three possibilities of sets to rent and didn’t like any of them. Enter Schaub, who for two decades has been the company’s technical director — and what a splendid one he has been — along with Robert Dahlstrom, who teaches at the University of Washington and has designed any number of remarkable sets for Seattle Opera, and lighting designer Duane Schuler, one of the most inventive designers on the international stage, who now lives in Seattle. With their collective ingenuity and sensibility, they came up with what is on stage today: very simple, very up-to-date, very in tune with the visual intent of the libretto, proving once again that imagination does not have to be limited when funds are low.

Except for Papageno’s fanciful cart to hold the birds he has caught, a magic flute and set of bells and a dagger, there are no props on stage. Instead there is a series of huge traingular shapes to resemble pyramids, suggesting Egypt of the pharaohs. There is a giant one which is so high the top cannot be seen. Within that framework are others, some small and some large. They are lit in various colors. And then there are transparent pyramids that are three-dimensional instead of two dimensional, in which one can see figures — dramatic and fantastical — fire and smoke. Even various curtains rise and fall in the shape of a pyramid. It makes one believe in things, almost, one knows are not real. This does not necessarily sound so splendid on paper, but it is on stage. There are also, of course, faux animals. Between Rhodes’ costumes and Rosa Mercedes’ choreography, they are wonderously charming and endearing. The serpent that terrifies Tamino so much at the opening of the opera is amusing.

Alexander has done much inventive work in Seattle. Never more so than in “Flute.” He makes the most of every moment. We are lucky to see so much of Schuler’s work since he is in demand everyone, in part because he now lives in Seattle and likes to be here on occasion. He did some of the most extraordinary things in the simplest of ways, or so it seemed. Rhodes is a well-known English clothes’ designer, with a taste for the outrageous, who also designs for the stage. “Flute” is a natural opera for her. These costumes, done originally for San Diego Opera, reveal her in all her decorative extremes. I think she missed in the extravagant, ruffled collars for the priests, making them a parody of themselves, but who should complain when the rest of the platter is so full of riches. The very simplicity of the decor and lighting contrasts handsomely with her larger-than-life sensibility and vivid color.

The double cast is long. There are five changes in titled characters. All had merit. In Saturday’s cast were John Tessier as Tamino who has a sweet voice that suits the role. So too Christine Brandes’ Pamina. Emily Hindrichs’ Queen of the Night possesses a lot of sheer power and a sense of drama. Ilya Bannik did not find Sarastro so vocally comfortable.

Philip Cutlip’s Papageno Saturday night was agile, vocally and physically. He oozed charm, pushing the chracterization right to its outer limits. Much the same can be said for Leigh Melrose on Sunday afternoon. The three Spirits were double cast. All stage wise, despite their age, they were exemplary: Casi Goodman, Benjamin Richardson, Alissa Henderson, Saturday night; Madeleine Freebairn, Max Laycock, Rachel Zamora.

Other changes of principals on Sunday were Jonathan Boyd as a strong-voiced and attractive Tamino and a sweet Pamina, Hanan Alatar. Mari Moriya gave her all as the Queen of the Night, and that was considerable. Keith Miller did better as Sarastro but still lacked the sort of depth one wants in that part.

Appearing in all performaces are the three excellent Ladies: Anya Matanovic, Marcy Stonikas, Lindsey Anderson. Doug Jones did his usual best in the difficult part of Monostatos and Philip Skinner, Speaker.

Gary Thor Wedow was the conductor. Mozart’s score is light so we got transparent textures and clean articulation. The orchestra played well. The men in the Seattle Opera chorus, rehearsed by chorusmaster Beth Kirchhof, were their usual superb selves.