Review of ‘The Magic Flute’ (Greenwich Theatre 2025): “Unpolished reimagining of opera classic fails to stand as the queen of the night”

Mozart’s popular classic was reborn last week in the London scene — in a newly themed production put together by Opera Greenwich. Guillermo Nazara shares his views on the show — to let us know if this latest approach manages to enrapture audiences and build a marriage between the old and contemporary.

I so vividly remember the first time I watched Amadeus — a master stroke of a picture that’s never lost its grip on me. Though intentionally inaccurate in many of the historical events it depicts, one of the scenes covering the creation of his last opera had such an impact on my young self — where a giggling Mozart, now at the border of insanity, promises a frustrated Schikaneder that he’s finished the entire score; he just hasn’t started putting any of it on paper even though it’s only a couple of weeks before opening night.

That probably never happened. Yet, the theatre impresario’s volatile reaction after hearing such enraging news is, most likely, the nearest portrayal to how I felt during last weekend’s performance of Opera Greenwich’s revival of The Magic Flute. Advertised as a modernized reinterpretation of Mozart’s popular singspiel, the production showed some hints of commitment, along with more occasional flashes of quality. But overall, the experience fell lower in the audience’s favour than Papageno in the eyes of the Three Ladies.

Featuring a rather disappointing set design consisting of four fabric strips used as projection screens, the whole execution came across as a flat, underdeveloped, and problematic concoction — where no creative elements other than the original served any purpose apart from blemishing the source material.

Its excessively simplistic video designs, incapable of building any sense of ambience or location, stood closer to a distraction instead of contributing to the staging in any way. Its heavy-handed lighting, lacking intricacy and atmospheric quality, only brought the production’s shortcomings further to the forefront.

Though purportedly themed as a dystopian universe, there are virtually no signs of that concept during the performance — eventually, landing as more of an excuse to claim newness than a true artistic motif conveyed throughout. As a result, the visual effect it holds on the viewer is barely minimal — unable to guide, entice, or surprise them in any manner, let alone trigger the slightest emotion.

We can appreciate (and should even laud) the fact that they’ve included a full-piece orchestra playing live onstage — especially given the reduced space of a venue like the Greenwich Theatre. Ishan Bhadra conducts with elegance and an understanding of lush melodiousness. Yet, his communication with the orchestra and singers isn’t always as smooth — with both sections going offbeat at several moments while also omitting pivotal ornaments and textures at others.

As for the company, just a few selected exceptions help ease the generally troublesome vibe of the rendition. Not only are half of the leads severely out of tune, but their absence of presence and acting skills compromise every chance for their interpretation to earn redemption.

Grigori Riciu’s portrayal of Tamino is short of charm, charisma, and naturalness — while his feeble vocal projection ends up as the sole noticeable trait in his singing, most sadly. Furthermore, Meliza Metzger also fails to draw out the menacing allure the Queen of Night is supposed to flaunt — which, along with her limited coloratura ability and not the most appealing vibrato, prevents her performance from achieving any solidity.

Other members, however, leave us with the exact opposite impression — with some of them coming off as actual promises for the new generation of operatic performers. Among them, Kennedy Blair Miller makes the most memorable appearance as Pamina — boasting beautiful colour, sensitive phrasing, and an almost flawless technique, added to some competent acting abilities.

Bringing back one of the most enjoyable classics in the opera catalogue but incapable of doing justice to its legacy, Opera Greenwhich’s version of The Magic Flute struggles to intoxicate — culminating in not too palatable a toot to trigger an addiction in its audience. Though still faithful to Mozart’s work on a musical level, its plain, sometimes cracked finish will hardly spellbind any attendees. Instead, it might put them in a state of hölle rache.

Upcoming shows at the Greenwich Theatre are available on the following link.

By Guillermo Nazara