The Magic Flute - The opera but not the opera

Music and love can heal the world - that is the message of the immortal "Magic Flute". A small variety theatre troupe has hatched an audacious plan: to stage this masterpiece with little money and a handful of performers, but plenty of imagination, playfulness and musicality.

The ensemble anarchically and cheekily strips the slightly dusty opera characters of false pathos - and we meet people with very contemporary longings and troubles: the good-natured, haplessly muddled Prince Tamino and his impulse-driven bird-catcher friend Papageno. The passionately loving yet emotionally confused Pamina. The vainly masculine Prince Sarastro and the inwardly wounded Queen of the Night, both waging their power struggles at the expense of the younger generation. These inwardly lonely, longing-driven figures search a mysteriously threatening world for forces of good. Carried by deeply moving music, they navigate the tightrope between comedy and tragedy with ease.

First staged in 2024 at the Burgtheater in Vienna, the production pulls off a remarkable feat: it recharges the famous Mozart opera with wit, esprit and contemporary relevance while preserving its magic. The classic melodies are newly arranged and enter into a surprising dialogue with pop classics of our time. Mozart and Schikaneder would surely have spun in their graves with delight.

Director: Yvonne Kespohl
Musical direction: Fabian Kuss
Set & costumes: Mariam Haas, Lydia Huller