Review: LA Opera’s The Magic Flute Blends Whimsy with Mozart

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An inventive production that swings for the fences

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Suzanne Andrade and Barrie Kosky’s Magic Flute returns to LA Opera with a whimsical fusion of animations by Paul Barritt . The effect of the production is a bit surprising. Yes, as characters are revealed by revolving doors and interact with animations of barking dogs, Mozart’s music takes on a new life. Audiences laugh at cartoonish gags, and there are genuinely lovely images of young lovers surrounded by a field of flowers or imposing appearances of a humanoid arachnid as the Queen of the Night. However, these punctuations of moments that really work are buried in a lot of nebulous loops that ultimately register as screensavers.

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If one is looking to have the story of The Magic Flute spelled out for them in simple terms, this production is excellent! However, I would hesitate to suggest this to anyone experiencing their first opera. Once the novelty wears off, the visuals of the show become a bit exhausting— fluttering fairies flap their wings and music notes fall from the sky in an unending torrent. It is simultaneously overstimulating and dull. By the intermission, I felt anxious to see someone move about the stage or to have a change of scenery— dynamic elements audiences can generally expect to see in a production of The Magic Flute .

The joviality of this score and the rich fantasy of these characters take a backseat to the projection design. I’m sure the performances are of a high caliber, but with everything going on on the screen, it is incredibly difficult to pay attention to the singers. I will always applaud directors taking big swings to bring opera to life in ways that are exciting and new in the twenty-first century. This production feels like a bit of a misstep, but it would not deter me from seeing another work by this team.

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_Originally reported by [BroadwayWorld](https://www.broadwayworld.com/los-angeles/article/Review-THE-MAGIC-FLUTE-at-LA-OPERA-20260604)._