THE MAGIC FLUTE

Arcola Theatre

★★½

“While a strong cast and some inventive touches shine through, it currently lacks the cohesion and polish to fully take flight”

Mozart’s final opera, ‘The Magic Flute’, receives a spirited staging from Ensemble OrQuesta for Grimeborn Opera Festival. While the production showcases strong performances and imaginative intent, its ambition to reimagine the work for the 21st century doesn’t quite come together.

Transported through his radio into a magical world of music, Tamino is charged with rescuing Pamina, the Queen of the Night’s daughter. But all is not as it seems, and his quest becomes a test of courage, self-control and perseverance.

Mozart’s glorious score and Emanuel Schikaneder’s German libretto receive a contemporary refresh from director and conductor Marcio da Silva. The spoken dialogue is loosely rewritten in English, making the ‘Singspiel’ more accessible and humorous – though some gags, particularly recurring references to the “ladies”, miss the mark. The pared back Hastings Philharmonic Orchestra features strings, woodwind and piano – though seems to lack the advertised period instruments. The orchestra is larger than one might expect for the Arcola, yet the sound never quite fills the space, perhaps due to its placement behind a bank of seats. Even so, da Silva draws out considerable energy and precision: tempos are brisk, attacks are crisp, and the musicians demonstrate ample flair and technicality.

da Silva’s direction embraces the opera’s inherent absurdity with a welcome emphasis on humour. Yet the production feels a little under-rehearsed, with singers frequently lagging the orchestra’s brisk tempi, and the run time overshooting by 30 minutes. While the comedy usually lands, other choices are less successful – Papagena’s elderly voice is rather pantomime, and Papageno’s whistle, initially amusing, becomes a little wearing. The physical theatre also needs work. Despite a reputation for inventive movement, the staging feels surprisingly static – especially Tamino’s climactic trials. Involving a dedicated fight director could add more impact and make some moments feel safer.

The cast is strong. John Twitchen brings a bright, confident tenor and convincing presence to Tamino, while Helen May’s assured Pamina moves seamlessly between tenderness, defiance and despair, culminating in a deeply affecting “Ach, ich fühl’s”. Flávio Lauria’s Papageno is a likeable comic foil, brimming with irrepressible energy, and Vedat Dalgiran lends Sarastro a sonorous gravitas. Rosemary Carlton-Willis, Jordan Gascoigne and Juliet Telford blend beautifully as the Three Ladies, demonstrating impressive unity. Juliet Petrus steals the show as the Queen of the Night, pairing regal menace with agile coloratura in an accomplished “Der Hölle Rache kocht in meinem Herzen”. The Three Boys are enchantingly puppeteered and sung by Alfie Alun Hughes, Antônio Ulucan da Silva, Artur Rebelo, Christopher Madden, Florence Milton and Lara Ulucan da Silva, bringing a welcome sense of wonder whenever they appear.

The design offers flashes of imagination but lacks cohesion. The programme cites ‘Labyrinth’ as a key influence, reflected in the 80s-inspired (if slightly ill fitting) costumes, dreamlike framing and use of puppetry. However other elements feel less considered, such as the dominating yin-yang symbol which never comes into its own, and the lack of unified aesthetic in the chorus costumes. The lighting feels more functional than fantastical, relying on colourful washes to establish mood. The production’s most successful design element is the Three Boys – directed by Orlando Bishop, the puppets are charmingly manipulated, providing some of the evening’s most memorable moments.

Ensemble OrQuesta approaches ‘The Magic Flute’ with imagination and an admirable desire to broaden opera’s appeal. While a strong cast and some inventive touches shine through, it currently lacks the cohesion and polish to fully take flight.

THE MAGIC FLUTE

Arcola Theatre

Reviewed on 25th August 2026

by Hannah Bothelton

Photography by Julian Guidera

THE MAGIC FLUTE

★★★★

“performances fit to grace any opera house”

When Emperor Nerone falls in love with the ambitious Poppea, their toxic romance becomes Rome’s ultimate power play. She’s ruthless, he’s unhinged, and together they’re unstoppable, leaving bodies and broken lives in their wake as Nerone divorces his wife Ottavia to crown his mistress empress. It’s a study in humanity’s capacity for ruthless ambition cloaked in the language of love. HGO’s superb production of Claudio Monteverdi’s masterpiece demonstrates why this company has earned back-to-back Offie Awards.

The plot unfolds like a telenovela. It’s a big mix-up involving murderous rulers, darkly comical servants and mistaken identity that wouldn’t be out of place in Shakespeare. As a matter of historical fact, Nerone murdered Poppea, rather than elevating her to Empress. Busenello’s libretto offers a rehabilitation, a ‘what-might-have-been’ where love conquers all, though at terrible cost.

Director Ashley Pearson delivers a minimalist production that trusts Monteverdi’s music and Giovanni Busenello’s cynical libretto to carry the drama. With little stage furniture and Sorcha Corcoran’s stripped-back set design, the focus remains laser-sharp on the performances. Sofia Alexiadou’s lighting design works to magnificent effect, sculpting the space and illuminating the psychological warfare unfolding between characters. Alice Carroll’s costumes feature light touches of 1980s styling, perhaps a nod to that era’s own excesses and power plays.

Two performances transcend an already strong ensemble cast. Theano Papadaki in the title role is a revelation—a Poppea of calculated ambition matched by a beautiful voice that makes her manipulation utterly seductive. Her final coronation feels both triumphant and unsettling, exactly as it should. Equally outstanding is Jasmine Flicker as Drusilla, bringing genuine pathos to the woman caught in Ottone’s obsession with Poppea. Flicker possesses a voice of exceptional beauty and uses it with intelligence and emotional authenticity.

The eight-piece HGOAntiqua baroque ensemble under Seb Gillot’s musical direction does a fine job with Monteverdi’s score. The theorbo (played by Kristiina Watt)—like a long-stringed bass guitar—joins viola da gamba (Kate Conway), violone (Jude Chandler), and portative organ (Seb Gillot) to create an authentic sound. The original orchestration may have included more wind instruments, but the ensemble creates rich textures nonetheless. This is music from the era of Greensleeves, beautiful and tender, culminating in the sublime final duet “Pur ti miro”.

Monteverdi’s vocal casting is rather top-heavy. Only Seneca provides a bass voice, and his character dies at the end of Act One. More characters with lower ranges would have been an easy win. Perhaps this limitation is only noticeable for an audience exposed to opera’s later golden age, when it was corrected with such great aplomb. Of course, any fault here is not with this production, but with the score itself.

The supporting cast handles the opera’s complex web of betrayals with apparent ease. The working-class characters—guards, nurses, attendants—inject knowing commentary, reminding us that the powerful destroy lives with casual indifference.

HGO continues its impressive mission to give young singers essential professional experience. This production demonstrates why that matters: these are real talents at the start of promising careers, delivering performances fit to grace any opera house.

Tag Archives: Julian Guidera

THE MAGIC FLUTE

★★½

Arcola Theatre

THE MAGIC FLUTE

Arcola Theatre

★★½

“While a strong cast and some inventive touches shine through, it currently lacks the cohesion and polish to fully take flight”