Magic Kingdom

THEATER

The Magic Flute

Written by W.A. Mozart

Directed by Lane Shadgett '00

Through Feb. 26

Dunster House Dining Hall

The Magic Flute

Written by W.A. Mozart

Directed by Lane Shadgett '00

Through Feb. 26

Dunster House Dining Hall

Magic Kingdom

By JILL KOU

CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Entering Dunster's dining hall-turned opera house for the opening night of The Magic Flute, this year's Dunster House Opera, there was an overall excitement and stir that affected the mood of all. From the start, the audience was ready for a thrilling show, and the Dunster House Opera certainly did not provide anything less. The polished orchestra and the lively cast captured the audience with gusto, and they held their grip tightly throughout the show.

The Magic Flute, written by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart shortly before his death in 1791, features the tale of Prince Tamino's (Sonny Elizaondo '00) quest to find Pamina (Tonia D'Amelio '00), his love. The rather basic storyline is complicated by Pamina's evil mother, the Queen of the Night (Tamara R. Spiewak '02), who commissions Prince Tamino to steal Pamina away from the just and wise Sarastro (John Driscoll '99) and the queen's trusted follower who guards Pamina, Monostatos (Joe Nuccio '00), with the hope of marrying her.

One of the opera's first scenes depicts an incident where Prince Tamino is approached by the Three Ladies sent by the Queen of the Night. The Three Ladies, played by Emily Ludmir '03, Cissie Fu '00 and Heather Langdon '03, set the tone for the whole night. Sophisticated yet lively, musically brilliant, with movements amazingly coordinated and a mix of grace and cynicism, they draw the audience in completely. This sophisticated elegance is contrasted with Papageno (Neil Davidson '03), Prince Tamino's traveling companion. Davidson plays the role of Papageno with an animated boyish charm that provides not only comic relief from the main plot but also adds to the fullness and energy of the story itself.

Joe Nuccio, playing the role of Monostatos, is also worthy of accolades. Nuccio brings across the deviousness of his character but does so with a charismatic temperament that lightens the mood of the opera without detracting from the plot. His cunning attempts to woo Pamina and his conniving intentions of ruining Prince Tamino bring a humorous slant to the opera, disburdening the role of its evilness. Matching Nuccio's dazzling performance is the musical brilliance of Spiewak as the queen . Spiewak awes the audience with her sparkling arias, reaching musical heights with amazing control and clarity in her voice.

The orchestra, brought together specially for the Dunster House Opera, was extremely poised, supporting and leading the singers with full assurance. Lane Shadgett '00, the director of the Opera, comments, "Michael McNabb '02, our music director, brought the orchestra and singers together much earlier than is normally done in productions like this...This helped keep the orchestra interested in the production, and gave the singers the confidence to sing aggressively." The orchestra's preparedness and togetherness certainly gave the show a firmness and competence that added to the solidity of the performance as a whole.

The lighting was also an integral part of the creativity and uniqueness of the show. It not only helped to achieve and change the mood and atmosphere of the opera but was more often than not also used in creative ways to further the plot. As Shadgett explains, "The opera had a number of 'tough spots' where we either didn't want to or couldn't afford to do things as they were traditionally done...Killing the Queen of the Night by having the light dissolve her shadow was our alternative to the stage direction, 'They sink into the earth.'" Shadgett credits the opportunity for creativity to "the producer, Mary Whitman ['01], [who] took care of all of the logistics with such extraordinary competence that the creative directors could just concentrate on being creative."

Perhaps one of the most creative and unique components to the opera was the stage set-up. Though the gap in the center of the stage with surrounding flats that could be lit from behind were part of the original design, set designer John Hulsey "took these initial ideas and ran with them to create a performance space with so much flexibility and visual appeal," Shadgett reports. The protruding white backdrops, along with the u-shaped stage, indeed contributed to the "visual appeal" of the show. (Particularly commendable is the fact that this dynamic but unwieldy set was taken down after after every performance so that Dunsterites could get their dining hall back.)

The energy and the enthusiasm that the opera brought forth were certainly invigorating and enjoyable. From the cast to the orchestra to the lighting and staging arrangements, all came through well organized, polished, and brilliantly creative. In the words of director, Shadgett, "Undergraduates have a sort of raw enthusiasm, a willingness to experiment, and a love for performing which one often cannot find in older, more 'experienced' singers." Indeed, the Dunster House Opera's performance of The Magic Flute was refreshing, creative and thoroughly delightful.