The Magic Flute at The Kennedy Center

The Magic Flute

The Kennedy Center
2700 F Street, NW Washington

Mozart's whimsical opera The Magic Flute springs to life via the Washington National Opera and vivid, colorful sets and costumes from Japanese-American artist Jun Kaneko. This adventure-filled opera begins as the Queen of the Night sends the brave Prince Tamino on a quest to rescue her daughter from an evil sorcerer. Accompanied by the clumsy and comical birdcatcher Papageno, Tamino braves all obstacles to find the princess and defeat the sorcerer, only to find that all is not what it seems. Tamino's adventure is marked by dramatic plot twists as trickery and betrayals are revealed, and the true villain emerges. This production is sung in English with projected English titles.

Thru - May 18, 2014

Price: $25-$305

Running Time: 2 hours, 45 minutes with 1 intermission

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The Magic Flute Reviews

Average Rating based on 5 reviews

Highly Recommended
Recommended
Somewhat Recommended
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Washington Post - Recommended

"...Auguin has showed that he is a brilliant Wagnerian and only pretty good in some other repertoire. His “Flute” was perfectly competent if a little heavy, with a few infelicitous moments from the orchestra. It added up, though, to a feel-good evening, of which my own perceptions were definitely influenced by my companion, a 10-year-old friend who had never been to the opera and who remained involved from beginning to end. “I would definitely go to the opera again!” he said at the end of the night — a judgment that may carry considerably more weight than a critic’s."

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- Anne Midgette

DC Theater Arts - Highly Recommended

"...Brightness and color abounded in the Kennedy Center Opera Hall on Saturday night as the Washington National Opera debuted its second-to-last show of the season: Mozart’s The Magic Flute, in a truly awe-inspiring coming-together of musical, stage, and visual art."

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- Emily Cao

The Georgetowner - Recommended

"...Mostly, there are some wonderful performances, in particular by Canadian baritone Joshua Hopkins as Papageno, whose singing and acting are straightforward. He’s the lovable buffoon with a song in his heart. American soprano Kathryn Lewek as the Queen of the Night, gives glamour to being wicked and thrills to her vocalizing, with two of the most difficult and sweep-away, jump-out-of-your-seat arias ever composed, which she nails in bravura style. American bass and local favorite Soloman Howard again displays his lower range in moving fashion, making everything rich with intonation. American soprano Maureen McKay, slight in stature but mighty in a voice full of romantic yearning, makes an appealing heroine, who’s matched by Canadian tenor Joseph Kaiser’s steadfast and earnest hero Tamino."

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- Gary Tischler

MD Theatre Guide - Recommended

"...Washington National Opera’s current production of Mozart’s The Magic Flute, now playing at Kennedy Center’s Opera House, is well sung and has, as far as operas go, a lighthearted story featuring the fine music of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Emanuel Schikaneder’s original libretto with updates from Kelley Rourke. An eye poppingly distracting production design smothers the material and detracts from an otherwise well-executed performance."

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- Elliot Lanes

DCTheatreScene - Recommended

When Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart wrote The Magic Flute as a fairy tale fantasy he was seeking broad popular appeal. Washington National Opera has followed suit with this production, including programming a free simulcast at Nationals Park as part of their series – Opera in the Outfield.

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- Susan Galbraith

The Magic Flute at The Kennedy Center

The Magic Flute

The Magic Flute Reviews

Washington Post - Recommended

DC Theater Arts - Highly Recommended

The Georgetowner - Recommended

MD Theatre Guide - Recommended

DCTheatreScene - Recommended

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