The Matchbox Magic Flute, Shakespeare Theatre Company, Klein Theatre, Washington, DC

 


Tina Muñoz Pandya, Lauren Molina, Monica West, Russell Mernagh, and Billy Rude in The Matchbox Magic Flute. Photo by Liz Lauren.

Full disclosure: I have very limited experience as an opera-goer and my knowledge of Mozart is mostly confined to Peter Shaffer’s 1979 play, Amadeus, and its 1984 film version. Although the performances of both were especially memorable, the details, unfortunately, were not.

Mary Zimmerman is certainly having a “DC Moment,” with this play, which she adapted and directed, at the Shakespeare Theatre Company following the Folger’s staging of her Metamorphoses. Both productions continue through June 16. In addition, Zimmerman created The Notebooks of Leonardo daVinci, which STC presented in 2022.

A program note lets us know that the “matchbox” in the title refers to those tiny cars on a scale of 1:64. Zimmerman considers this a “miniaturization,” what I see as a kind of “opera-lite” or an abridgement as in Reader’s Digest versions of novels that I probably encountered for the first time about the same time I discovered those tiny cars. While not on the same scale as Mozart’s opera, it nevertheless provides an exposure to the opera that some might find more accessible than the “real thing.” I expect that many opera purists may disagree, as does reviewer Phillip Kennicott in The Washington Post, who titled his review “If you love Mozart, it’s okay to blow right past this ‘Magic Flute.’”

The production’s DC run is in association with Chicago’s Goodman Theatre, where it was performed earlier this year. Prince Tamino is lost in the woods, pursued by a flying dragon. He meets three ladies with magical powers, one of whom manages to kill the flying dragon. He also encounters Papageno, who is half bird and half human, and the Queen of the Night. The Queen’s daughter, Pamina, has been kidnapped by the evil Sarastro, and the Queen beseeches Tamino to free her. Predictably, there are many trials and tribulations along the way, many of them other-worldly, but ultimately, the lovers come together.

Since I am unfamiliar with the source material, I cannot comment on how faithful Zimmerman’s adaptation is or whether the best choices were made in terms of what material was kept and what was lost. To be honest, it took me several minutes into the play before my ears “warmed up” and I began to completely understand what was being sung.


Russell Mernagh, Dave Belden (a member of the orchestra), and Emily Rohm as Queen of the Night in The Matchbox Magic Flute. Photo by Liz Lauren.

The events unfold on the stage of what appears to be an opera theatre, lit by chandeliers and depicting various levels of boxes, two of which, at stage level, are used for entrances and exits. Visually, the show is a colorful delight, thanks to the work of set designer Todd Rosenthal and lighting designer T. J. Gerckens. Ana Kuzmanić has designed brightly-colored and often-witty costumes, complemented by wigs and hair designed by Charles G. LaPointe. (To add to the distinctive “look” of the play, even the orchestra members, some of whom move to the stage for certain moments, are costumed.)

Zimmerman notes in the program that she cast singing actors from musical theatre backgrounds rather than opera stars, with the exception of Keanon Kyles as Sarastro. Kyles is certainly the strongest voice in the show, though his Sarastro seems sunnier than his role in the plot might indicate. His “day” is contrasted with Emily Rohm as the Queen of the Night, who comes across as a self-centered if well-meaning mother. Billy Rude is winning as Prince Tamino, often playing the straight-man in the midst of hijinks surrounding him. Marlene Fernandez as Pamina is no “damsel in distress,” but a feisty, determined heroine and an excellent match for Rude’s Prince. Shawn Pfautsch is the comic highlight of the production as Papageno, perfectly matched by Lauren Molina as his destined partner. Russell Mernagh, Tina Muñoz Pandiya, Reese Parish, and Monica West round out the versatile and talented cast. Zimmerman keeps them in almost-constant motion.


Rear: Russell Mernagh and Keanon Kyles, Front: Billy Rude and Marlene Fernandez in The Matchbox Magic Flute. Photo by Liz Lauren.

For those of us who sometimes enjoy our Shakespeare contemporized (as in STC’s recent productions of As You Like It and Macbeth), minimizing and theatricalizing the opera to create The Matchbox Magic Flute is a feast for the senses, providing an open-minded audience with a refreshing theatre experience.


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