REVIEW: The Magic Flute

But next Tuesday she will give the Civic a glow for the second time, appearing there as the endangered heroine, Pamina, in Opera Australia's touring production of Mozart's The Magic Flute.

The soprano first set foot on the Civic stage two years ago as another endangered Mozart heroine, Donna Anna, in Oz Opera's Don Giovanni.

Emma Castelli became a full-time member of the Opera Australia chorus in 2007 and she has played key roles in operas including The Marriage of Figaro and Der Rosenkavalier, as well as most of the female characters in a Magic Flute schools tour.

Raised at Kincumber on the Central Coast, she was involved in musical theatre at Gosford from age seven, with her first role being Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz.

While she lived at Cooks Hill when attending Newcastle University between 2000 and 2004, part-time jobs prevented her from appearing in musical theatre works apart from the operatic pieces staged by the Conservatorium as part of the students' course work.

After gaining her Bachelor of Music Double Performance degree, she studied for a Diploma of Opera at the Sydney Conservatorium, and from there joined Opera Australia.

The current touring production of The Magic Flute has just 12 performers, each of whom alternate in roles. Likewise, there is a nine-member mini-orchestra in the pit.

But this staging of Mozart's much-loved work has won warmer praise than many more elaborate versions.

As developed by composer Mozart and librettist Emanuel Schikaneder, the story has fairy-tale elements, beginning with Prince Tamino fleeing a huge serpent in a rocky region. He is subsequently enlisted by the Queen of the Night to rescue her daughter, Pamina, from an evil brotherhood.

Director Michael Gow has adapted the story, placing it in Egypt in the 1930s, where Tamino is an archaeologist trying to uncover many of the secrets buried in the ancient tombs of the pharaohs.

Gow and designer Robert Kemp have given the story a mood and appearance akin to the colourful adventure film Raiders of the Lost Ark.

The monster chasing Tamino in the opening scene is a mummy, while the frustrated birdcatcher Papageno, who helps Tamino rescue Pamina, has become an Aussie ornithologist who would "kill for a beer" in the contemporary English libretto adaptation.

Papageno, who is one of the opera's main comic figures, enters in khaki clothes, hunter's hat and knee-high socks, carrying a bird in a cage that he claims to have just caught.

And the Indiana Jones-style dash of Tamino has the Queen of the Night's three female assistants declare in their lyrics at one point that "he looks like a movie star".

The mysterious figure of the Queen, though, retains her radiance, wearing a glittering gown that does indeed suggest a starry-sky presence.

The magic flute of the title is a device the Queen gives to Tamino to help in the rescue effort. Its powers are only gradually revealed as the story develops.

Opera Australia has provided opportunities for young singers to experience performing in an opera throughout the tour of The Magic Flute.

The original libretto has three mysterious young boys who make an appearance at a crucial moment in the story.

At each of the opera's venues, these roles are filled by a youth choir. In Newcastle, the singers will be the Newcastle Region Children's Chorus, a group formed specifically for this event under the guidance of Newcastle soprano Patricia Woods.

The 18 youngsters aged between eight and 14 will appear at crucial moments in the story, trying to assist bewildered and lost characters.

Chorus master Alex Pringle travels to venues a week ahead of the cast and production team to conduct final rehearsals for the young singers. And, on the day of the performance, they spend an hour on the venue stage rehearsing with the cast.

The family-friendly Magic Flute runs for two hours and 20minutes, including an interval. It can be seen at the Civic Theatre next Tuesday, at 7.30pm. Tickets: $60, concession $55, subscriber $50, youth (2 to 21) $35. Bookings: Civic Ticketek, 49291977.