OPERA: Coenraad Visser
FIRST KwaZulu-Natal gave us a Zulu Macbeth. Now, with equally striking effect, it gives us Mozart’s The Magic Flute in an African setting. This production is the fledgling Opera Africa’s debut. It is entirely fitting that it should transfer from the Playhouse in Durban to the Roodepoort stage, where so many enterprising productions showed the way for our grander opera companies.
The Magic Flute is director Themi Venturas’ first opera production. It was an inspired thought to set Mozart’s mystical work in Africa, complete with the Queen of the Night as a sangoma (rather ironically sung by the only white face in a lead role amid an all- black cast). He is helped, too, by Patti Slavin’s minimalist but arrestingly evocative
A pity, then, that Venturas’ production is so static, often in the worst operatic traditions of the past. And he still has to learn to pay attention to what happens in the score, and to the words sung. When Tamino recoils in horror of the snake at his feet, that is where the snake should be; not behind his back some metres away. There were far too many silly moments like this.
But what glorious voices to work with. Raphael Vilakazi is a characterful Papageno, completely at home on stage and in magnificent voice. Thokozani Mkhize is a winning Pamina, not as tenderly affecting as is the tradition, but fresh and youthful. Ruth Smith copes well with the Queen of the Night’s ridiculously difficult coloratura. What she lacks in vocal ease she makes up in presence. As the three ladies, Bongi Simelane, Nozipho Mfayela and Bongiwe Khumalo are a constant delight, their voices blending beautifully.
Bongani Tembe fares better as Tamino than in the recent Italian season. But one’s impression still remains of a small, bland voice which is overprojected. Mike Mkhize lacks the resonant lower register required of Sarastro, but it is surely merely a question of time before these notes appear.
The only real disappointment of the evening is the shocking playing of the Pro Musica Orchestra. The players mastered the overture nicely enough, but then lost all interest and concentration. Conductor Weiss Doubell, too, was strangely erratic, often abruptly changing tempi in mid-phrase, to the noticeable horror of the singers on stage.
This extraordinary production should be seen. After all, it may be a first glimpse of an exciting future for opera in this country.
Final performances of The Magic Flute are at 7.30pm tonight and Sunday night in the Roodepoort City Theatre