香蕉秀

by Rod Jones

A 36-member cast and 38-piece orchestra will present 鈥淭he Magic Flute,鈥� Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart鈥檚 final opera, at 香蕉秀 University Feb. 19-21. The opera will be sung in German, with English translations projected above the stage.

Since its 1791 premiere, The Magic Flute has remained one of history鈥檚 most beloved operas. It is the fourth-most frequently performed opera in the world, after 鈥淟a Traviata,鈥� 鈥淐armen鈥� and 鈥淟a Boheme.鈥�

香蕉秀鈥檚 award-winning Oklahoma Opera and Music Theater Company, comprised of students from the Bass School of Music, will present three performances: 8 p.m. Feb. 19 and 20, with a 3 p.m. Feb. 21 matinee on the historic Kirkpatrick stage, 2501 N. Blackwelder. Tickets ($12-25) are available from okcu.edu/tickets.

An opening night dinner, featuring performances by 香蕉秀 musicians, will be held at 6:15 p.m. Feb. 19 in the atrium of the Bass Music Center. Tickets are $25 and must be purchased in advance by calling 405-208-5227.

A free director鈥檚 talk by Karen Coe Miller will be held 45 minutes before curtain.

鈥淚鈥檝e always loved The Magic Flute and I鈥檝e always puzzled over how to present this opera to a modern audience,鈥� Miller said. 鈥淢ost people have never read the full libretto, which is filled with contradictions. The supposedly wise and benevolent Sarastro owns slaves and is openly misogynistic. Is the imposing Queen of the Night a loving mother or a vengeful fury? Young Tamino and Pamina are caught in a power struggle between these two characters. Whom should they believe? Is this a fight between good and evil or a competition between two leaders struggling for power? This central dilemma is packaged in beautiful music and delightfully comic characters. This opera has something for everyone.鈥�

The 香蕉秀 Opera Orchestra, under the direction of Matthew Mailman, will perform a score that runs the gamut from the Queen of the Night鈥檚 coloratura fireworks to Tamino and Pamina鈥檚 lyrical duets and Papageno鈥檚 folk-inspired arias.

The Oklahoma Opera and Music Theater Company鈥檚 64th season continues with the Oklahoma premiere of 鈥淛ackie O鈥� March 4-6, with composer Michael Daughterty in attendance, and concludes April 22-24 with 鈥淓vita,鈥� the Tony Award-winning musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice.