REVIEW: The Magic Flute, Ensemble OrQuesta, Grimeborn Opera Festival 2026 at Arcola Theatre
‘Creditable effort’ ★★★
The plot of Mozart’s 1791 masterpiece is so impenetrable that I’ve long thought it’s best simply to sit back and enjoy the music. So I was amused to see that in director, Marcio da Silva’s programme note he admits that he and his company have more or less decided simply to enjoy the fun of this pantomimic, fairy story fused together with freemasonry rather than worrying too much about what it all means.
Part of the annual Grimeborn Festival, this version of The Magic Flute is as accessible as it could be. Unusually for Mozart it comes with large chunks of German spoken dialogue. Here it is delivered in English complete with jokes about Camden and pizza. Most (but not all) of the sung work is in German and the mixture works surprisingly well.
The basic story presents a young woman, Pamina, (Anna-Luise Wagner alternating with Helen May) who is held by a group of priests and who may or may not need “rescuing.” Various people then get involved in retrieving her.
Wagner (soprano) is terrific as Pamina. She has a fine voice and her acting is warmly convincing. And in the intimacy of Arcola Studio 1 it needs to be because the action is very close to the audience.
John Twitchen, tenor, excels as Tamino, who eventually hooks up with Pamina and Vedat Dalgiran has exactly the gravelly basso profundo voice required for Sarastro, the chief priest. Even his grandiloquent speaking voice is as sonorous as a massive old bell.
The star of the show, however, is Flavio Lauria as Papageno (bass) the bird man, He leaps about, his elastically expressive face always telling a story and – it’s a huge part – he sings impeccably. And fancy being able to whistle the flute glissandi so incisively in tune! He really is a joy to watch in action.
On the other hand this production comes with flaws. Studio I is configured the opposite way round from how I’ve seen it in the past. This means that the orchestra (string quartet with double bass, clarinet, oboe and percussion) is tucked into one corner where most of the cast can’t see da Silver most of the time – and it shows. There were missed entries and occasional tempo discrepancies. And, although these players did a generally good job the sound was ragged at the start, possibly because da Silva took the overture too fast.
I was expecting to see a “chamber” production. In fact there are seventeen people in the cast plus six children who puppet and sing (quite well) the Three Boys. That is too many to get on an off smoothly in the Studio I’s small space. You really need only four people to sing the male chorus, for example and some roles can easily be doubled with the Three Ladies. And amongst the ensemble not all the singling was up to scratch. It is indicative of a problem when your percussionist is obliged to sing with the male chorus. Some of the acting is wooden and at one point they hold folders and appear not to be “off book”. A little more rehearsal might have helped.
Nonetheless it is an enjoyable evening. Mozart’s glorious music (full marks to Juliet Petrus for her two dramatic Queen of the Night numbers) always carries the day whatever you do to it. It’s a witty production and I admire the ethos of Ensemble OrQuesta which works very hard to provide opportunities for performers and to open opera to everyone.
The Magic Flute
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Ensemble OrQuesta
Arcola Theatre, Dalston
25 – 29 August
BOX OFFICE https://www.arcolatheatre.com/event/the-magic-flute/
This show is part of Grimeborn Festival at Arcola Theatre
Full programme https://www.arcolatheatre.com/festival/grimeborn-2026/
