Mozart's Zauberflöte: contemporary adaptation now in theatres
Now to be seen in Amare in The Hague: Mozart's Zauberflöte - the next generation. After the try-outs in Hoorn, the audience reacted enthusiastically: "Great class what this company puts down," wrote one visitor in a reaction. "Great combination of beautiful singing, well-chosen character roles and humorous scenes," said another visitor. Director Theu Boermans and his team, who previously created the large-scale successful production Amadeus (2019), now come up with an exciting and topical adaptation of Mozart's world-famous opera Die Zauberflöte. It promises to be another sparkling, theatrical and musical experience, performed with live choir and the Grammy-winning LUDWIG ensemble. As in the first performances in Mozart's time, the cast consists of a mix of actors and singers.
A challenging new Dutch-language libretto was written for this performance. It leads to a brutal Zauberflöte that is as tragic as it is comic. In a dystopian near-future, the populists have seized power. Not content with this, the young generation enters the fray to overthrow the old rulers. Using love as a weapon, they fight for a new world of equality and justice.
The story
This radically adapted Zauberflӧte is set in a dystopian future where a group of ultra-right-wing conservative men, led by Sarastro, cling to power. There is no room for women, youth and minorities among these rulers. Even the queen of the night, old feminist is shut out. She, along with her princess daughter Pamina, fights against the incumbents, although both clearly have different motives for their struggle. They are assisted by Prince Tamino, while the incumbent finds an ally in Papageno, an overseer employed by the regime. The new generation is out to oust the power - seeking a world where everyone is equal and given equal opportunities and the earth becomes livable again.