(AD – PRESS NIGHT) OPERA NORTH’S THE MAGIC FLUTE REVIEW
HULL NEW THEATRE
THURSDAY 27TH MARCH @ 7PM
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How excited was I to see my very first opera? Opera North produce some spectacular shows as I’ve read plenty of reviews previously. With a large orchestra and cast, I was looking forward to an epic production. Here’s my Opera North’s The Magic Flute review.
PRE-SHOW THOUGHTS
Going to see my first opera is on my bucket list for the year so I was excited to see one. I’ll admit that other than reading the synopsis, I didn’t know what to expect from The Magic Flute. I know it’s a Mozart opera and that it’s a good one to see as a starter opera. Other than that, I was going in completely blind. It was a treat for me to take my dad too as whilst he likes musicals, they’re not all his cup of tea but he fancied a night at the opera!
THE CAST
Trystan Llyr Griffiths as Tamino is our prince for the evening. He definitely gives off strong leading man vibes and I particularly enjoyed his harmonies with other cast members. I also loved hearing his Welsh accent coming through.
Our heroine is Pamina played Soraya Mafi. Her vocal range was simply outstanding and I really believed her naivety as a young woman. Her duets with Griffiths towards the end were simply stunning and they had a very natural chemistry.
Nazan Fikret played Pamina’s mother, Queen of the Night, and she was probably the highlight of the entire show. Her aria is one that most non-opera fans will know but I didn’t realise that it was from The Magic Flute. She’s not on stage much but she definitely steals the spotlight when she is.
Emyr Wyn Jones as Papageno provided the comedy for the evening but that didn’t take away from his vocal performance. Without spoiling the story too much, I loved his connection with Pasquale Orchard as Papagena.
Justin Hopkins as the baddie Sarastro has a gorgeous tone to his voice as well as an incredible range. He’s a very likeable baddie too, making him even better!
However, my favourite characters were the Three Ladies played by Charlie Drummond, Katie Sharpe and Hazel Croft. I don’t know if they were inspired by the three witches in Macbeth but they brought the comedy and harmonies.
THE PRODUCTION
Of course, the highlight is the score. Each character’s arias have a distinctive style and I loved that each leading character gets their own time to shine. I also loved that many of the songs climbed the further they went on.
It wouldn’t be an opera without an orchestra and Opera North’s is one of the best I’ve ever heard. They added to the dramaticness of the show and led by conductor Emilia Hoving in her Opera North, they just added to the entire experience.
I was most surprised at the set. I’m used to seeing touring musicals and often the set design looks on the cheaper side but Opera North have definitely blown their budget. The moving set looked exactly like an old manor and the use of lighting projections was really clever too.
It might have just been me but I found lots of musical theatre references. The Sound of Music and Les Miserables felt familiar in parts but it’s more likely these musicals were inspired by The Magic Flute!
FINAL THOUGHTS
Obviously, I had no idea what to expect at the opera but I have to say, I really enjoyed myself. Would I see The Magic Flute again soon? Probably not. Would I go to see another opera? Absolutely. In fact, my dad and I have our eye on a couple coming to town later this year! Opera North’s The Magic Flute is a great starter opera as it’s easy to follow and sung in English.
If you enjoyed my Opera North’s The Magic Flute review, you can find my other theatre reviews here. Don’t forget to follow me on Twitter, Instagram and TikTok too.
