Chicago Tribune - Highly Recommended
"...The new "Magic Flute" reunited Karg with Czech-born bass-baritone Adam Plachetka, who appeared at Lyric last season as Susanna and Figaro in Mozart's "Marriage of Figaro." Her Pamina was no demure damsel in distress but a spunky heroine who could be both tough and touching as the situation required. The melting inflections she brought to her aria made it an affecting high point of Saturday's performance."
Chicago Sun Times - Recommended
"...What results is a kind of opera within an opera, with the action taking place around an amazingly realistic two-story house, which rotates on a massive stage turntable and is set against a striking, star-specked night sky. (Dale Ferguson served as designer for both the sets and costumes, which are a combination of picture-perfect 1960s middle-class apparel for the residents and suitably fantastical garb for the opera’s characters.)"
Chicago Reader - Highly Recommended
"...This could get too cute in a hurry, but it all works, thanks to director Neil Armfield's clever use of a large, talented cast that includes kids and dogs along with divas like Christiane Karg as Pamina, the princess in distress, and Kathryn Lewek as her malicious mom, the Queen of the Night. Matthew Polenzani will replace Andrew Staples as Prince Tamino for the last seven performances. In German with surtitles, but this production is so American, they should be doing it in English."
Chicago Stage Review - Highly Recommended
"...The first word that comes to mind when describing Lyric Opera's new production of The Magic Flute (Die Zauberflote) is "delightful." The second might be "unexpected." This iconic fantasy piece, which premiered in Vienna two months before the composer's death, has continued to be one of Mozart's most popular pieces of work. It is telling that the "best young artist" of 1782 outsold mega stars Beyonce, Adele, and Drake in 2016, two hundred and twenty five years post mortem!"
Time Out Chicago - Highly Recommended
"...But it's Schneider's nimble hands in which Halena Kays's engaging production rests. Both a highly intelligent and vulnerable actor and a first-rate magician whose set pieces mesh smartly with Hinderaker's metaphor. That he can win us over while riding these two parallel tracks is in itself a remarkable trick."
ShowBizChicago - Highly Recommended
"...The new Magic Flute at Lyric is a rare instance where a piece penned in the 18th century transfers seamlessly to a different era. I credit this to Director Neil Armfield who has not only remained true to the composer but having a deep enough understanding of the true essence of this magical fairy tale set in the timeless imagination of our inner child."
Chicago On the Aisle - Highly Recommended
"...Mozart's music is handsomely accomplished, right down to the three pure-voiced child sopranos - Casey Lyons, Parker Scribner and Asher Alcantara - who guide Prince Tamino on his way. The entire show, spoken dialogue and all, is done in the original German, with easy-to-read English surtitles."
Stage and Cinema - Highly Recommended
"...If you’ve been enjoying the Amazon original series Mozart in the Jungle or read Alexander Chee’s novel The Queen of the Night, then you won’t want to miss The Magic Flute. Although it runs about three hours long with one intermission, the time goes quickly due to the steady pace of the music and direction. And while the production is eminently accessible, it could have been rendered more so by translating the spoken German lines into English. Nevertheless, Lyric Opera is to be congratulated for mounting a Magic Flute that lives up to its name."
ChicagoCritic - Recommended
"...Utilizing singspiel, a popular form that included both singing and spoken dialogue, there is much spoken dialogue here that slows down the production. But when this production ‘sings,’ it sizzles. At the performance i attended there were children present. I’m not sure this production was for them. Julie Taymor’s production in English with terrific animal puppets was best for kids. But, again the music, the vocals and the heartfelt story is universal."
Around The Town Chicago - Highly Recommended
"...The wildly talented neighborhood adults who sang the music the children inspired must have made one hell of a local church choir. Andrew Staples (Tamino) sang with an achingly earnest tenor and Christiane Karg (Pamina) was picture and pitch-perfect. Christof Fischesser (Sarastro) rumbled thrillingly and Kathryn Lewek (Queen of the Night) her than one can imagine, and does so perfectly."
Classical Voice America - Highly Recommended
"...The infectious, utterly disarming success that is the Lyric Opera of Chicago's new production of Mozart's The Magic Flute begins with the overture - a very good place to start, of course. But the instant charm has little to do with the brilliant sounds emanating from the pit. As the music wafts up, a nearly full-size, two-story mid-20th -century house - pale yellow with white trim and a handsome blue roof - rotates on a turntable and neighborhood folks gather while last-minute preparations are made for the presentation of an outdoor play."
Third Coast Review - Highly Recommended
"...Running three and a half hours with one intermission, The Magic Flute combines spellbinding spectacle and magnificent music to tell a fantasy adventure in a dynamic new way. While this bold concept may not be for all opera aficionados, for those willing to embrace a new interpretation, there is much excitement to be found in Armfield's splendid production. Leaving The Lyric Opera, you just might find yourself eying the surrounding businesses and homes, wondering what magic lies just beyond their surface."
Picture This Post - Highly Recommended
"...And how could you not enjoy this music- a Mozart masterpiece conducted so ably by Rory Macdonald?? Audience favorite Kathryn Lewek is just one of many strong voices in this cast. Christiane Karg as princess Pamina‑the love object of Tamino (Andrew Staples), Adam Plachetka as Papageno, and Christof Fischesser as Sarastro are especially compelling. The sweet soprano voices of the three Genies (Casey Lyons, Parker Scribner and Asher Alcantara), combined with the ever-present feeling that they are just kids from the 'hood, make them the poster boys of this production for sure."
NewCity Chicago - Highly Recommended
"...Imagine my delight when director Neil Armfield's production transported me back to a 1960s house party, where a fantastical entertainment was being supplied by the neighborhood children. Perfectly coiffed Laura Petrie-like moms watched their children race around the corners of a post-WWII home, up the stairs inside set and costume designer Dale Ferguson's revolving family sanctuary to dangle homemade birds from dad's fishing rods all while trailing glittering, unsophisticated paper dragons. With Pamina, Tamino and Queen of the Night all dressed just this side of a copyright lawsuit brought by seven short fellows, I was awash in a magical story told in sweetly naïve whispers."
