I actually got to see The Magic Flute twice this year! I went to the dress rehearsal on Monday evening, July 25, just because I had never been and a friend invited me. What fun!
The place was full of kids and parents ? it is supposed to be a light-hearted opera after all. There was even a kids? program, talking about opera, takling about the puppets, making it all more fun. Lots of seats were left open so that directors, managers, musicians, technicians, stage crafters, etc, could roam where they needed. Evans Mirageas, the artistic director, paced back and forth in front of the stage, in and out of spotlights, several times.
The staging was so fun! Big walls moving around, hidden doors revealing Mozart, a huge dragon, secret gifts for the adventurers, the magical setting of the Queen of the Night, people and critters popping in and popping up. The kids all loved it.
If you ever get a chance to see a dress rehearsal ? go for it!