The Magic Flute

Bristol Hippodrome ★★★★✩

MOZART’S wonderful score for the Magic Flute, played by a full symphony orchestra in top form and sung in fine style by the principals and chorus of the Welsh National Opera company, should be a match for anyone, but on this occasion they found themselves upstaged by the creative team. Making full use of Loren Elstein and Jake Wiltshire’s highly imaginative sets and lighting and the puppetry skills of Matthew Forbes and his team, director Daisy Evans filled the stage with a string of ever changing fascinating, often beautiful images that continually demanded the audience’s attention.

Built on two revolves, the set continually changed itself into different formations, much of it lit by strip neon lighting. This same neon lighting also emerged hand held to form everything from masonic images to simple picture frames. A series of handheld differing sized colourfully lit balls were also used to underline the the situation a character found themselves involved in.

Whilst some of these always attractive images might have been intrusive, others added greatly to the moment, Samantha Hay’s Hell’s Vengeance Boils in My Heart aria became even more dramatic as she was isolated by a ring of startling flashing white lights.

As if determined not to lag behind the creative work of the design and lighting teams Sian Price and the costume team came up with a series of eye caching, but not always flattering costumes. Raven McMillon always in perfect control; of Pamina’s vocal output, at times looked more like an American football quarterback than a vulnerable Princess.

Despite these visual, sometimes distracting, always fascinating images, the quality of the musical input never dropped below a very high standard.

With Teresa Riveiro Böhm energetically wielding the baton the WNO brought out the many wonderful changing moods within Mozart’s beautiful music. In doing so they provided an ideal platform for soloists and chorus to take advantage of the opportunities this opera offers them.

These were the sort of gifts that Thando Mjandana, who brought a lovely youthful spirit to Tamino, Quirijn De Lang, a rather more thoughtful, but very lovable Papageno and slightly understated Sarastro from Jonathan Lemalu were going to ignore.

No one can question the quality of the puppetry, handheld colourful birds and a skeletal monster, the only question is were they overused in a production that was a treat to the eyes, and if you did not allow this dazzling display of imagery to intervene to the ear.