Canberra Reviews

The Magic Flute and the National Youth Opera are a great fit. There’s something particularly enjoyable about watching young performers fill out these well-loved roles and bring their own personal touches to Mozart’s beautiful score. As long as you don’t ask too many questions about how a flute might protect people from the elements, or what good a set of bells could possibly be in finding a girlfriend, you’ll definitely find something to enjoy here.

Carl Rafferty’s English libretto is true to the entertaining spirit in which The Magic Flute was first produced, with gentle humour and a slightly updated tone. Rowan Witt has some of the best one-liners as the cheeky bird-catcher Papageno. While he’s clearly relishing the comedic aspects of his role, Witt never allows Papageno to look too ridiculous. Claire Stjepanovic’s Papagena was a perfect accompaniment to Witt, and both had the audience giggling along with them each time they appeared on stage. Apart from their acting skills, both Witt and Stjepanovic have strong yet natural voices that carry them effortlessly through their roles.

The comedy continued with the parts of the three ladies and three little boys, who act as a chorus while directing the characters through the story. Each group added an extra dash of fun to this already amusing tale, and seemed to be having a ball doing so. While some of these young actors' voices are still developing, they more than compensated with sheer enthusiasm.

Special mention must be made of Samantha Warhust as Princess Pamina and Kate Rafferty as the Queen of the Night. Warhust’s voice is already strong and clear and will doubtless only improve with each production in which she performs. Rafferty not only filled out the imposing role of the Queen with conviction, but also managed to pull off those superhuman high notes that must take many long hours of practice to perfect. Philip Barton also had some powerful moments as King Sarastro, and carried himself with a convincing elegance. 

The accompaniment was limited to piano and flute, and while some may have missed an orchestral sound, the advantage was that the young performers had room to be heard without straining. The costumes were quite stunning, particularly those of the Queen of the Night and Sarastro. In fact, the only issue the production seemed to be struggling with was lighting, which left some of the performers only semi-visible at times.

There are many points on which to recommend The Magic Flute, but the most important one for this production is that its cast seem to be having a great time. When the people on stage are enjoying things this much, there’s little doubt the audience will too.


The National Youth Opera
The Magic Flute

Where: The Street Theatre | Childers Street, Canberra City West
When: December 4 - 9
Tickets: Adult $29, Concession $25, Child $15
Booking: 02 6247 1223