**** Have you heard of “Matchbox”? Most of us with sons have purchased many little autos called “Matchbox” referencing that they could be placed in a wooden matchbox for storage ( thus the name , matchbox). How about an opera that has been readapted so a family can watch, listen and be entertained? Well, The Goodman Theatre has Mary Zimmerman’s adaptation of Amadeus Mozart’s “Magic Flute” in its smaller, “Black-Box” theater, the Owen ,and while it will not appeal to the true opera lover, it is a fun production that amuses, delights and educates, all rolled into one.Directed by Zimmerman, with a cast of very talented people and a small group of musicians, this two hour production ( with a 15 minute intermission) is both charming and truly entertaining. As I said earlier, the true opera lover will not even buy a ticket, and while some audience members who love musical theater might be scared off when they hear “opera”, this is not exactly opera. In fact, one might look at it as closer to Gilbert & Sullivan works a/k/a “operettas”.
On the tech side, the set by Todd Rosenthal is quite clever giving us the woods and having a back wall that can be changed by spinning the “flats”. The lighting (T.J. Gerckens) is perfect as is the sound (Andre Pluess who also arranged the music and adapted same with Amanda Dehnert, who also is the Musical Director). This crew is the best and makes the production work. Ana Kuzmanic’s costumes are adorable as well as practical and allow for some very quick changes for this sterling cast.
The Spirit ( played to perfection by Reese Parish) is sort of a sprite, that brings all the parts of the story together. Price Tamino ( deftly handled by Billy Rude) embarks on an adventure to find and save Princess Pamina ( (Marleen Fernandez is brilliant). She is the daughter of The Queen of the Night ( a superb job by Emily Rohm), but in order to do so must have the magic of “the flute”.
Along the way, the Prince encounters many obstacles and befriends a bird Papageno ( Shawn Pfautsch is a great comic performer), who is also seeking a love. The ensemble is wonderful, playing their roles and moving trees and walls with ease. Some of the performers also play other roles just to move scenery and /or to keep the action moving. Hats off to Lauren Molina, Tina Munoz Pandya, Monica West ( the three ladies),Russell Mernagh, Keanon Kyles and Marleen Fernandez as Pamina.
The musicians who are at the edge of the stage are as follows: Dalia Chin (flute), Dave Belden ( violin), Tahirah Whittington ( cello), Bob Garrett ( percussion) and Conductor (piano and guitar) Paul Mutzabaught. There are times the musicians go onstage to do their thing- they are terrific.
While I cannot guarantee that you will want to see the original version ( in 1791 )after seeing this, I can guarantee that you will be entertained and will have fun. If you go as a family, I am certain there will be discussions about the story and maybe even some theater questions. This may be a great way to get a teenager to put his electronic stuff aside and have a new experience.
” The Matchbox Magic Flute will continue thru March 24th with performances as follows:
Tuesdays 7:30pm
Wednesdays 7:30pm
Thursdays 2:00pm & 7:30pm
Fridays 7:30pm
Saturdays 2:00pm & 7:30pm
Sundays 2:00pm
Enhanced and Accessible performances
Touch and tour audio described March 3rd 12″30 tour 2 p.m. performance
ASL Interpreted- Saturday, March 9th at 2 p.m.
Spanish- subtitled also on the 9th but at 7:30 performance using LED sign
Open-captioned performance on Sunday, March 10th at 2 p.m.
Stage: Owen Theatre of The Goodman located at 170 N. Dearborn
Show Type: Drama
Box Office: 312-443-3800
To see what others are saying, visit www.theatreinchicago.com, go to Review Round-Up and click at “The Matchbox Magic Flute”
all photos Liz Lauren
More Stories
“Barefoot in the Park”
“Joe Turner’s Come and Gone”
“How I Learned What I Learned” reviewed by Julia W. Rath