Operas

Die Zauberflöte

Die Zauberflöte is, in my uneducated opinion, one of the most difficult operas to bring to the stage. On top of the technical challenges it poses (which are wholly manageable for any decent opera house), die Zauberflöte is among the most frequently performed of all operas, meaning one has to wow the neophyte opera-goer—who wouldn’t risk the hefty ticket price on anything not Mozart-Wagner-Verdi—and the seasoned, binoculars-clasping, loge-supervising audience, who might get bored if something on stage comes to close to any famous production from the last 230+ years. And let’s not forget the many famed arias that will inevitably draw the intense scrutiny of every spectator. Combined with the the general oniric vibe and the free-masonic imagery of the play, this can lead to some interesting choices in costume and stage directions.