The Magic Flute (Die Zauberflote)

Synopsis

Bizarre and spellbinding. The Magic Flute features two love stories, a serpent, a Queen, a High Priest and a comedian, whose intrigues unfold to the beauty of Mozart's most popular opera score and Schikaneder's witty dialogue

Our Review:

28 March 2011

A’, not ‘The’. This isn’t Die Zauberflöte as written by Mozart but a 95-minute potted version adapted by the formidable Peter Brook, now 86, and conceived as his farewell production to his Paris theatre, Les Bouffes du nord.

To say that expectations for this ran high is an understatement. Armed with vivid memories of Brook’s chamber version of Bizet, La Tragédie de Carmen, and having made multiple pilgrimages to his peerless Don Giovanni at the Aix Festival some years back, I had put a big red circle around this date months ago. What sadness, then, to witness such a dispiriting swansong from a great director.

Brook’s late work for the stage has become increasingly stripped back (though always stylishly so) to encourage audiences to focus on the drama. With A Magic Flute he catastrophically extends this dépouillement to the musical performance, and in his...

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Latest User Review

Gareth James - 3 April 2011:

Peter Brook’s edited minimalist A Magic Flute was a bit of a damp squib. Even though it ran for around half the normal time, it seemed a very long 95 minutes. There were some nice humourous touches, some clever staging and some nice - if 'small' - voices, but overall it underwhelmed. In short, no magic!...

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