UW News

May 13, 2004

Mozart’s ‘Magic Flute’ plays this weekend

The School of Music’s spring opera is one well known to opera fans. The Magic Flute opened last night and will have additional performances at 7:30 p.m. May 14, and 3 p.m. May 16 in Meany Theater.


One of Mozart’s best-loved works, The Magic Flute is an imaginative journey through the trials of life, surrounded by the magic of flutes, monsters, genies and queens.


“The trials, desires and magic of this opera are a way out of the labyrinth of everyday life,” said Eric Parce, the director. “This production is set in a modern urban location, where we’re rushed, anxious and confused. It’s also the kind of place where we can meet people from all walks of life. We’ve tried to make the characters not only somewhat realistic, but also people with qualities we all have — or at least can relate to.”


Parce is following Mozart’s lead by presenting the opera in English. The composer, he says, wrote it in his native German, not Italian like his other operas, and presented it in the local theater in Vienna, not the opera house. The show also has spoken dialogue, much like modern musical theater.


Tickets for The Magic Flute are $20, $10 for students and seniors. They are available at the Arts Ticket Office, 206-543-4880.