Jonathan Smucker as Tamino and Erina Newkirk as Pamina Photos by Bob Stafford
The Pocket Opera is reprising its acclaimed production of Mozart's The Magic Flute, and company founder/director-pianist-conductor-translator-narrator Donald Pippin is happy about it:
Mozart’s last opera is unlike any he had composed before and unlike any, to my knowledge, that has come along since. It was his biggest success, which, had he lived, would have finally got him out of debt, incurred by such financial disappointments as The Marriage of Figaro, Don Giovanni, and Cosi fan tutte.
It is a magical, musical extravaganza, blending high seriousness and shameless buffoonery, set to incandescent music in almost every conceivable form: simple folk song, heartfelt melody, glittering coloratura, solemn fugue, and an aria that has been described as the voice of God.
And what a cast of characters! Many of them are paired off by way of contrast: the inscrutable Queen of the Night and Sarastro, the mysterious ruler who ushers in the light; Papageno, the likeable country bumpkin; and the villainous Monostatos, each of them searching for love; three mysterious ladies and three innocent but spunky youths; and the lovers, Pamina and Tamino, obviously made for each other. No contrast there.
The Three Spirits: Emma MacKenzie, Sarah Ancheta, and Margaret Martin
The opera charmed its first audiences and has charmed audiences ever since. For us, it is a privilege to perform, and we hope and trust that for you it will be a privilege to attend.
In principal roles: Svetlana Nikitenko (Queen of the Night), Erina Newkirk (Pamina), Jonathan Smucker (Tamino), Chelsea Hollow (Papagena), Jordan Eldredge (Papageno), John Bischoff (Sarastro), and Michael Mendelsohn (Monostatos). Nicolas Aliaga is stage director, Lisa Eldredge is costume designer.
