Directed by: Jeffrey Buchman
Music by: W.A. Mozart
Libretto by: Emanuel Schikaneder
Original Production
November 2024 - Florida Grand Opera
DESIGNERS
Stephan Moravski - Scenic Designer
Camilla Haith - Costume Designer
Robert Wierzel - Lighting Designer
Greg Emetaz - Video Designer
Karl Hesser - English titles
Dreambay Enterprises - Spanish titles
ORIGINAL CAST
Christine Brandes - Conductor
Felix Jarrar - Assistant Conductor
Jared Peroune - Chorus Master
Rosa Mercedes - Choreographer
Ricardo Garcia - Tamino
Avery Boettcher - First Lady
Mary Burke Barber - Second Lady
Monique Galvão - Third Lady
Alex DeSocio - Papageno
Laura León - Queen of the Night
David Margulis - Monostatos
Sara Kennedy - Pamina
Kornel Racz - 1st Spirit
Christian Burbach - 2nd Spirit
Sophia Cavaretta - 3rd Spirit
Neil Nelson - Speaker
Andrew Potter - Sarastro
James Mancuso - 1st Priest/1st Armored Man
Alexander Kolyszko - 2nd Priest/2nd Armored Man
Sydney Dardis - Papagena
Director's Note
In this new production, I have blended Mozart’s opera with the world of gaming to tell its story through boundless imagination and adolescent eyes. If childhood represents a time of innocence and clarity where moral structures appear distinct and straightforward, then adulthood unfolds as a journey into the nuanced realm of complexity where we must confront the bittersweet truths that great pain often accompanies great love, and that the lines between right and wrong are often blurred in our pursuit of what we perceive as a noble cause. This transition from simplicity to complexity finds a poignant expression in adolescence, a period marked by questioning the inconsistencies and hypocrisies of the world around us. Through the lens of adolescent perception, navigating the uncharted waters of personal growth and self-discovery, the opera takes on a renewed vibrancy capturing the essence of a transformative journey into maturity.
Reviews
"The stage seamlessly transformed into an intricate and labyrinthine world throughout the show. The digital effects and cohesion between the lighting and costumes were only the starting line for the magic created by the entirety of the cast and crew."
"The fanciful nature of “The Magic Flute” coheres with the nature of the role-playing genre, therefore, this direction was a smart choice...this production could be groundbreaking for a new generation of opera audiences."
-Afton Wooten, Operawire
"Buchman takes that layered narrative one step further by presenting the opera’s scenario in the manner of role-playing board games. The result is an immersive experience that is eye-filling and greatly entertaining, yet true to the spirit of Mozart’s creation."
-Lawrence Budmen, South Florida Classical Review
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