As I commented elsewhere, The Magic Flute probably isn't the most Mother's Day appropriate production in the world, what with the mother in this particular opera turning out to be evil and all. But then again, it's actually hard to think of a lot of classic operas or fairy tales or anything of that nature that really celebrate motherhood very well. Usually the mother is either dead, about to become dead after going completely insane with grief at lost love, or ... well, evil. Sorry ladies. As I also commented elsewhere (I am soooo self-referential), at least they didn't chose this weekend to stage Elektra. 

Elektra loves her mommy THIIIIIS MUCH!!

The Magic Flute is a pure frippery in the (hopefully) best sense of the word. It lacks the inherent bitter-sweet of Mozart's other comedies - farces that often play on the cynicism of love's naivety fading to an all too realistic sophistication  - while playing with the tropes the underlay the most serious of opera. I think in a way, that can make it more challenging, because it is quite nonsensical and unabashedly silly, while opera can wax "silly" in a more ponderous absurdity if not approached carefully. The fantasy has to be so palpable and engaging, I think.

We're a little bit Rhine Maidens. A little bit Valkyrie.

For my tastes, the Seattle Opera did a fantastic job, by focusing not just on their utterly consistent strengths in choreography, casting and innovative set design, but with the costumes and puppetry and the way these inter-played with fantastical sets and projections. The animals were particularly cleverly designed and worked - halfway between costume and puppetry, glistening, gleaming and undulating through their routines. 

Prince Tamino jams as the LSD kicks in

It's hard to see how purely (and literally) dazzling any of the costumes were, unfortunately, but moving under light, the effect was nearly blinding and quite delightful. The same is true of the Queen of The Night's outfit, which didn't really impress me when I saw pre-show photos of it:

What amazes me about stage costumes is similar to remarks made about models: often up close and under regular lighting, they look mundane or odd, but seen in their intended milieus they take their viewers' breath away. Her costume glistened like the shooting stars that formed the background of her entrance. 

The Papageno/a costumes stand up best to photography, having their fancy work best with vivid colors and less on laying with the light supplied to the stage. 

And I so loved the sort of 80's conceit with both the Masonic triangular design and the robes. The entire opera was set behind a large neon triangle, with smaller pyramidal motifs coming and going. The triangle framed most of the action and changed colors according the the story and the characters coming to the fore at any one time. Behind this, the stage curtain was composed of two very diagonally cut black set pieces that moved across the stage, to allow triangular closings and openings at various points. These opened up either to the star projected sky for the Queen sequences, or to the "The Future From Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure" temple scene that the Masons were rocking. You can't tell, but in addition to that great color fade, Sarastro's costume was also bedazzled within an inch of its swarovski scattered life. 

Be Excellent to Each Other Tamino...

I don't really know enough about lighting to comment on how well planned the lighting scheme was, but it was clearly expertly done, using a million subtle changes in hue and position to play with both the costumes and the action. And any time you throw some black lights into an opera with vividly hued costumes, I'm pretty sold. 

But at any rate, it was just very smartly done in addition to being expertly acted (a must in an opera that has so much speaking and physical comedy). And I would love to borrow the rhino costume for my next Halloween. Or just as an accent. And to illustrate my point, here's an interview with Zandra Rhodes. I think the minute you see her, you get how right she was for this production, even barring prior knowledge of her design creds: 

Also, is it just me, or does Speight Jenkins kind of look like a Muppet just a little in this photo?