Chicago Tribune
- Highly Recommended
"...The show basically delivers “The Magic Flute,” the action of which takes place in a fanciful forest involving trials in service of love, replete with such famous arias as “Der Hölle Rache,” as sung by the Queen of the Night. In this production, that would be Emily Rohm, who deservedly brought the house down on Monday night when she fabulously dispatched one of Mozart’s most recognizable (and difficult) pieces of music. The Emanuel Schikaneder libretto has been liberally adapted by Zimmerman and now offers many comedic anachronisms, some of which add to the fun, and some of which jar. Such are the pleasures and temptations of the public domain."
Chicago Sun Times
- Highly Recommended
"..."The Magic Flute," Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's musical tale of love, magic, merriment and morality, enjoyed immediate success at its 1791 premiere in Vienna and it remains among the most beloved and frequently presented operas today."
Daily Herald
- Highly Recommended
"...Zimmerman’s direction is playful and the comic business and physical shtick (accompanied by a wink to the crowd) certainly entertained the audience. But not all the actors were on the same page. Some performances were overly broad. That said, the inconsistent tone may resolve over the course of the twice-extended run."
Chicago Reader
- Highly Recommended
"...This Magic Flute is a matchbox as full of visions as Andersen's Little Match Girl's-a box of treasures, a haze of marvels, a banquet of dreams, the very word delight-gossamer and fleeting."
Chicago On the Aisle
- Highly Recommended
"...Director Mary Zimmerman’s take on Mozart’s opera “The Magic Flute” at Goodman Theatre falls somewhere between the work’s original conception as a “singspiel,” literally a sung play, and a sort of heedless “Hey, guys, let’s put on a musical.” Only here and there does it get its chin above the opera bar, and yet it is altogether delightful, a rambunctious good time. And it has one of the best dragons ever."
Around The Town Chicago
- Highly Recommended
"...Have you heard of “Matchbox”? Most of us with sons have purchased many little autos called “Matchbox” referencing that they could be placed in a wooden matchbox for storage ( thus the name , matchbox). How about an opera that has been readapted so a family can watch, listen and be entertained? Well, The Goodman Theatre has Mary Zimmerman’s adaptation of Amadeus Mozart’s “Magic Flute” in its smaller, “Black-Box” theater, the Owen ,and while it will not appeal to the true opera lover, it is a fun production that amuses, delights and educates, all rolled into one."
Chicago Theatre Review
- Highly Recommended
"...In what is sure to be one of the most talked-about new Chicago production, playwright and director Mary Zimmerman has certainly cast a magic spell over the Goodman Theatre. Her re-imagining of Mozart's most famous and final work delivers an enchanting production that's much more musical theatre than opera. The show's reminiscent of Gilbert & Sullivan operettas, with a definite comical, contemporary slant."
Buzz Center Stage
- Recommended
"...Mozart's masterpiece, and one of the world's most frequently performed operas, The Magic Flute, is given a modern-day makeover in award-winning director and writer Mary Zimmerman's production of The Matchbox Magic Flute, now playing at The Goodman Theatre on its Owen stage."
Third Coast Review
- Highly Recommended
"...Great works of art come in all shapes and sizes. Sometimes, they are vast and sweeping, like the Sistine Chapel or Anna Karenina; and sometimes they are tiny, like a Faberge egg or a Dickinson couplet. And sometimes, they are like Mary Zimmerman's exquisite little production, The Matchbox Magic Flute, now playing at the Goodman Theatre, on its smaller Owen Theater stage."
PicksInSix
- Recommended
"...The star-swirled proscenium of the Goodman’s Owen Theatre playfully invoked the essence of a childhood bedroom, ripe with stories to be told, creating the perfect backdrop for the opening night/world premiere performance of Mary Zimmerman’s “The Matchbox Magic Flute.” A spirited reworking of a centuries-old tale, this playful mini-rendition is the perfect introduction to the piece and the artform of classical storytelling, while maintaining a respectful reverence for the opera’s origin."
MaraTapp.org
- Recommended
"...Think of this latest offering as reminiscent of the early days of Redmoon Theater, of Lookingglass Theatre Company and of Mary Zimmerman’s best work, which finds the humor in more serious works. This is vintage Zimmerman with all the antique trappings of the fanciful works of Redmoon, including the signs that look like they came from silent movies, and here are paraded across the state in the hands of an enchanting sprite. "
Splash Magazine
- Highly Recommended
"...Recently, I was expressing to a friend my love of all things miniature, be it a model train, a bite-sized brownie, or a Dungeons and Dragons figurine. With The Matchbox Magic Flute, now in its world premiere production at The Goodman Theatre, director Mary Zimmerman has created a kind of miniature version of Mozart’s beloved opera. It’s no surprise, I think, that this scaled-down presentation surprised and delighted me in the same way as so many other itty-bitty things."
BroadwayWorld
- Highly Recommended
"...Director Mary Zimmerman returns to the Goodman with the whimsical and inventive THE MATCHBOX MAGIC FLUTE. Zimmerman’s adaptation of Mozart’s iconic opera is lively and accessible; this would be a great introduction for those new to the opera. "
NewCity Chicago
- Recommended
"...Zimmerman makes clear that her intentions are to make “The Magic Flute” a family-friendly opera. Papageno (Shawn Pfautsch) is never in danger of committing suicide here. The trials of Act Two are silently hosted by a voiceless transgender person (Reese Parish) with descriptive cards for the audience as if they’re part of a game show. There is no real danger that Pamina (Marlene Fernandez) will leave Tamino (Billy Rude) over his ignoring her. Sarastro (Keanon Kyles) is warm and fuzzy. Even the usually ferocious Queen of Night (Emily Rohm) seems merely to be having a bad day."
