Arts & Entertainment
 

Like Magic

Mozart's magical masterpiece comes alive with supernatural set, riotous direction

By Chris Brunt
The Daily Cougar

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart turned over in his grave on Friday evening. Twice. But it was in the best of ways, because Houston Grand Opera's production of his famous fairy tale The Magic Flute may be the freshest, most inventive handling of the piece in years.

Director Frank Cosaro has reassembled his heralded 1980 production team for another HGO tour-de-farce presentation, again with Maurice Sendak's colorful set and costume design.

Sendak is the illustrator of the children's classic "Where the Wild Things Are," and his towering, playful, perfectly weird backdrops frame the supernatural substance of Fluteexceedingly well, creating an extravagant new world for every scene.

Accomplished German conductor Claus Peter Flor commands the pit orchestra capably, though parts of the score sounded under-prepared, perhaps because of the over-confidence on behalf of the esteemed baton-bearer. Nevertheless, the orchestra seemed to settle into its usual groove, threading in and out of the heavenly music and dramatic plot with grace.

The libretto to Flute was written by Emanuel Schikaneder, the 18th century Shakespearean actor and low-brow comedian. The influence of Shakespeare is obvious in the dialogue and plot, as is the shared sense of humor between composer and librettist, for Schikaneder's jokes and Mozart's witty music often seem engaged in some ethereal duet onstage.

HGO clicks once again on all cylinders, with talents such as Alexandra Coku and Chad Shelton taking the demanding lead roles of the lovers Tamino and Pamina and The huge supporting cast performs with excellence. However the main reason the Wortham Theater Center's audience was so giddy all evening was the Corsaro's riotous direction. 

Corsaro thrusts upon the stage a kaleidoscopic array of vulgar humor, brilliantly colored set work, vibrant singing, stunning choral ensembles and, of course, the agonizingly gorgeous music of Mozart. Particularly memorable moments were those that displayed obvious departures from the text, such as a scene in which three slaves appear smoking an unnamed substance out of a giant hooka and giggling uncontrollably. There's also an amusing bit with a down-on-his-luck dragon.

American baritone Daniel Belcher is the hands-down show stopper as the comic sidekick Papageno. Belcher garnered more laughs and applause than a standup comedian, and he was working a reasonably sober crowd. Though <I>Flute<P> is in German, Belcher couldn't resist frequent asides in English, almost invariably having to do with liquor and sex.

Belcher certainly wasn't the only one who took liberties with the text, as the evening had an overflow of vulgar jokes, sexual innuendo, sarcastic English asides, and, at one highly bizarre point, audience participation.

HGO hasn't appeared to have this much fun in a long time, and yet it still maintained the musical standard of excellence that makes it a truly great opera company. Especially captivating was the voice of the evening, Alexandra Coku, the American soprano whose tonal quality is something like a fatal aphrodisiac for the ear.

The Magic Flute

Wortham Theater Center, 500 Texas Ave.

Playing: Jan. 30 to Feb. 15

The verdict: The holiest of music spiced with genuinely hilarious antics all contained in a charming tale of adventure by one of the greatest artists in the history of mankind. See it.

 Send comments to dcshobiz@mail.uh.edu