A beautiful princess is trapped by a powerful ruler, a brave prince along with his goofy sidekick take on a great journey and a wicked queen tries to lure the hero into evil in the Bass School of Music’s next opera, The Magic Flute.
The Magic Flute was composed by Mozart in 1791. It is a fairy tale following two young lovers, “Tamino” and “Pamina.”
The story begins with “Tamino” who falls instantly in love with the princess “Pamina” upon seeing her picture, however her mother, “The Queen of the Night,” tells him that he can only marry her if he rescues her from the evil ruler, “Sarastro,” who has captured her. “Tamino” sets out to save the princess. Once he finds her, he has to prove his love for her by enduring a series of daunting tasks.
“Being a part of The Magic Flute has been a dream come true,” said Sarah Kuhlman, vocal performance junior. “It’s a pleasure getting to create this new world with these talented people.”
Kuhlman is playing “Pamina” in the show.
Unlike other operas, The Magic Flute alternates between songs and spoken dialogue, like a modern musical. Though the original opera is in German, OCU’s production speaks dialogue in English and songs in German.
“The Magic Flute has entertained audiences for centuries with funny, wild and crazy comic characters,” Director Dr. Karen Miller said.
Productions often cut certain dialogue or scenes from the show, but OCU’s production will keep them.
Miller said:
There’s all kinds of misogynistic dialogue like ‘man needs to rule the world’ or ‘don’t trust women’ that’s glossed over so not to be offensive. My point of view is that the central story is between these two young lovers trying to enter the world as partners, they have to make a choice between believing the Queen or “Sarastro” or making their own choice.”
The Magic Flute will be performed at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 3 p.m. Sunday in Kirkpatrick Auditorium in Kirkpatrick Fine Arts Center. Tickets are available in the Box Office in the Ann Lacy School of Dance. Tickets are $12-25.
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