The cast were clearly having fun whilst the plot was made satisfyingly coherent: Mozart's The Magic Flute from Charles Court Opera

Mozart: The Magic Flute - Matthew Kellett - Charles Court Opera (Photo: Bill Knight)

Mozart: The Magic Flute; Matthew Kellett, Alison Langer, Martins Smaukstelis, Peter Lidbetter, Eleri Gwilym, director: John Savournin/James Hurley, music director: David Eaton; Charles Court Opera at Wilton's Music Hall
Reviewed 5 March 2025

A hard-working cast of nine in a chamber version that combined lively wit with a real sense of engagement along with a reworking of a plot made satisfyingly coherent, achieving a remarkable amount on a shoe string

Charles Court Opera is celebrating its 20th anniversary and as part of the celebrations they revived Mozart's The Magic Flute, originally co-produced with Iford Opera. Originally directed by John Savournin, this revival was directed by James Hurley with Lucy Fowler recreating Simon Bejer's original designs. We caught it on 5 March 2025 at Wilton's Music Hall. Matthew Kellett was Papageno, Alison Langer was Pamina, Martins Smaukstelis was Tamino, Peter Lidbetter was Sarastro, Eleri Gwilym was the Queen of the Night, Joe Ashmore was Monostatos with Sarah Prestwidge, Martha Jones and Meriel Cunningham as the three ladies. Charles Court Opera's music director, David Easton accompanied on the piano.

Mozart: The Magic Flute - Martins Smaukstelis, Alison Langer
Charles Court Opera (Photo: Bill Knight)

There was no overture, we plunged straight in. We were in a tropical rainforest in Peru with vines everywhere and fragments of ancient stonework. The Peruvian setting arose out of the original designer, Simon Bejer's visit to Peru, and Papageno and Papagena (Matthew Kellett and Sara Prestwidge) were in traditional Peruvian dress. The three Ladies (Sarah Prestwidge, Martha Jones and Meriel Cunningham) were a bit more exotic and not a little glam, whilst there was something distinctly feral Goth about Eleri Gwilym's Queen of the Night. Sarastro (Peter Lidbetter) and his cohorts wore cowled robes with hoods that made them look like exotic birds. Martins Smaukstelis' Tamino was an explorer whilst Joe Ashmore's Monostatos had a distinctly British Colonial feel to him.

This was a small scale performance, using a hard-working cast of just nine, but the stage at Wilton's is not huge and they filled it admirably. This was a lively and entertaining version of the opera, sung in English (the translation was uncredited), but certainly no pantomime. The three boys were dispensed with, and their music reallocated (though still sung by Sarah Prestwidge, Martha Jones and Meriel Cunningham). Peter Lidbetter's Sarastro had more presence in the trials, and it was clear that this Sarastro was a force for good and not the sinister figure that the opera can sometimes project. Enough thought had gone into refocusing the drama, particularly in Act Two, that though this remained The Magic Flute, the dramaturgy was somewhat more coherent with a greater point to be made.

Tall and active, Martins Smaukstelis made a convincingly intrepid explorer, though the passive nature of the original depiction led him to come over as rather dim. Smaukstelis had a fine lyric tenor voice, though sometimes it tended to become steely under pressure and ideally I would have liked more warmth. But his singing had style and his voice certainly gave the character backbone. Alison Langer made a completely charming Pamina, never seemingly too put out by her desperate plight and always with a feeling of suppressed amusement at events around her, allied to a lovely way with Mozart's music. And certainly, she and Smaukstelis made a very attractive and nicely balanced couple, you felt that this Pamina would discreetly wear the trousers in the relationship.

Matthew Kellett is a Charles Court Opera regular and we have seen him in several G&S productions (most recently as Jack Point in The Yeomen of the Guard at Opera Holland Park). This Papageno was very much Matthew Kellett. Very active and physical with a distinctly cheeky chappie persona, but Kellett has a fine light-baritone voice and musically this was strong. It helped that he was able to easily chat to the audience. The role was written by Schikaneder for himself to perform, to his audience (it was his company), so we can imagine the original Papageno making asides to the audience and delighting regulars. Just as it was here. Papagena as old woman was a striking full-size puppet manipulated by Sarah Prestwidge, Martha Jones and Meriel Cunningham with Prestwidge as the attractive young Papagena, and she got a second aria (courtesy of the music for the three boys).

As I said, Eleri Gwilym's Queen of the Night felt feral rather than fearsome, and I loved the moment when she took one of Papageno's birds, removed its head and calmly proceeded to disembowel it as part of her ritual! Gwilym has a fine lyric voice with the necessary extension so all the notes were not just in place, but finely sung. But she is relatively light, this was no dramatic coloratura, and the result made this Queen somewhat more intimate, and intense. Perhaps her lack of dramatic entrance also contributed.

Mozart: The Magic Flute - Eleri Gwilym - Charles Court Opera (Photo: Bill Knight)

Peter Lidbetter benefitted from having simply a piano accompaniment, so that there was an intimacy to his performance as Sarastro, ensuring that all the notes were present. The role was rolled into that of the Speaker, making Sarastro rather more active and involved in the trials; this Sarastro was moral and upright, keen to reeducate Tamino and Lidbetter was convincingly warm voiced and engaging. Though he lacked the element of fearsome strength that many older singers can bring to the role. It made for an interesting recasting, this Sarastro was more primus inter pares. His cohorts, lacking an extra male-voice chorus, were played by the hard working Sarah Prestwidge, Martha Jones and Meriel Cunningham, occasionally with Joe Ashmore too.

Joe Ashmore made a suitably slimy Monostatos, though of course with the plot streamlined and with the more objectionable elements removed, the role itself become something of a cipher. Sarah Prestwidge, Martha Jones and Meriel Cunningham made completely delightful Ladies, bringing distinctive character to each in their trio, and they gave sterling work in their extra characters. This included them manipulating a trio of puppets of exotic birds, who replaced the three boys at a couple of points.

The production did not quite manage to pull the heart strings at the serious moments in Act Two, but nor did it turn the opera into lively romp. There was a distinct sociopolitical element there, along with a sense of liveliness and enjoyment from all the cast.

Mozart: The Magic Flute - Joe Ashmore, Matthew Kellett, Alison Langer - Charles Court Opera (Photo: Bill Knight)

At the piano, David Eaton worked enormously hard and accompanied sympathetically. I did rather miss a large instrumental ensemble, but this was made all the more glaring in that the piano had a distinct honky-tonk element to it. This was rather disturbing in the more serious elements and it seemed a shame that the venue could not run to a more serious piano.

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