I saw “The Magic Flute” last night and would like to share my feedback …
As one of the most frequently performed operas in the world and one of my all-time favorites, I was disappointed that liberties were taken both with the story and with the order in which the beautiful songs were presented. I am all-for creative re-interpretations, however, I do not feel “The Magic Flute” requires any help in that regard. On it’s own, it s magical and has the potential to be visually stunning … Last night’s performance was neither. It has always annoyed me that The Lyric presents it’s own confusion about the story as if all of us out here are confused and unable to follow the story … in my opinion, the story does not require the enhancements that were added to it. Last night’s production robbed us of the opportunity to use our own imaginations and interpretations of any back-story or mystical meanings, and I rather resent that.
In regard to the special effects … they were completely non-existent, as if the Lyric decided to not even try … Part of the fun of “The Magic Flute” is “the Magic!” after all … The sets were dull and boring and overwhelminingly disappointing.
The performances of Papageno, Pamina, and the Queen were outstanding! However, it seems that the lack of effort toward making the production visually appealing did the stars – and the audience – a great disservice.
I saw “The Magic Flute” several years ago at the Lyric – perhaps the last time it was presented in Kansas City – and was totally blown away. It was almost as impressive a production as one would see at the Met in New York. Last night’s production, however, did not live up to that standard and I was gravely disappointed.
1 response so far ↓
Anonymous // June 25, 2008 at 2:12 am |
I saw “The Magic Flute” last night and would like to share my feedback …
As one of the most frequently performed operas in the world and one of my all-time favorites, I was disappointed that liberties were taken both with the story and with the order in which the beautiful songs were presented. I am all-for creative re-interpretations, however, I do not feel “The Magic Flute” requires any help in that regard. On it’s own, it s magical and has the potential to be visually stunning … Last night’s performance was neither. It has always annoyed me that The Lyric presents it’s own confusion about the story as if all of us out here are confused and unable to follow the story … in my opinion, the story does not require the enhancements that were added to it. Last night’s production robbed us of the opportunity to use our own imaginations and interpretations of any back-story or mystical meanings, and I rather resent that.
In regard to the special effects … they were completely non-existent, as if the Lyric decided to not even try … Part of the fun of “The Magic Flute” is “the Magic!” after all … The sets were dull and boring and overwhelminingly disappointing.
The performances of Papageno, Pamina, and the Queen were outstanding! However, it seems that the lack of effort toward making the production visually appealing did the stars – and the audience – a great disservice.
I saw “The Magic Flute” several years ago at the Lyric – perhaps the last time it was presented in Kansas City – and was totally blown away. It was almost as impressive a production as one would see at the Met in New York. Last night’s production, however, did not live up to that standard and I was gravely disappointed.