Review: The Magic Flute (Opera Atelier)

It’s no surprise that Mozart’s The Magic Flute has been one of Opera Atelier’s most popular productions over the years. Now celebrating forty seasons, a remarkable milestone, the company returns with this joyful fan favourite. Staged at the stunning Elgin Theatre, this production opens the season under the direction of Marshall Pynkoski, with choreography by Jeannette Lajeunesse Zingg, and is sung in Andrew Porter’s acclaimed English translation. A lively blend of comedy, romance, and fantasy, it’s a story filled with dragons, a half-bird man, and magical instruments that lead the way to love.

The story of The Magic Flute follows a young prince, Tamino (Colin Ainsworth), who is sent by the Queen of the Night (Rainelle Krause) to rescue her daughter, Pamina (Meghan Lindsay) , from her nemesis, Sarastro (Stephan Hegedus). Tamino is joined by Papageno (Douglas Williams), a cheerful bird catcher—half man, half bird—who provides comic relief and carries his own small set of magic bells. Guided by their magical instruments and a few helpers along the way, they set off toward Sarastro’s temple. Inside the temple, the story shifts as Sarastro is revealed to be the voice of reason, and Tamino and Pamina must undergo a series of trials to prove their wisdom and devotion before they can be united in love.

The cast is exceptional across the board, with a standout favourite being internationally acclaimed coloratura soprano Rainelle Krause, making her Opera Atelier debut as the Queen of the Night. Her signature aria is one of the most famous and notoriously difficult pieces in the operatic canon. Written by Mozart to showcase incredible vocal precision and sheer technical control, it leaps across more than two octaves and soars to a high F6. Krause delivers it with extraordinary command, her tone cutting cleanly through the hall while maintaining its clarity. The audience audibly gasped and even cheered mid-song as she hit the top notes, showcasing one of those rare moments in live performance when awe simply cannot be contained.

It was also hard not to fall in love with the main characters of the opera. Tenor Colin Ainsworth (Tamino) brought both warmth and heroic presence to his role, with projection that filled the Elgin Theatre effortlessly. Soprano Meghan Lindsay (Pamina) felt every bit the princess whose sincerity and purity of tone made her scenes both graceful and emotionally grounded. And baritone Douglas Williams (Papageno) was a joy to watch, his natural humour and crisp physicality gave the character a playful charm. His movement aesthetic was light, rhythmic, and full of personality, which fit the character perfectly.

Tthe design of this production is nothing short of breathtaking. The Magic Flute is exactly as I wish all opera (and art) could be: full of imagination, craft, and visual splendour. The stage bursts with life through Gerard Gauci’s hand-painted backdrops, each one filling the large Elgin Theatre with its own mood and colour palette. The sets glide in and out seamlessly, transforming the space into temples, forests, and celestial skies, each scene somehow more beautiful than the last. The lighting by Kimberly Purtell adds a soft, golden warmth, giving the production its unmistakably magical glow. And the costumes, originally by Dora Rust D’Eye, with Resident Costume Designer Michael Gianfranceso, are richly detailed and overall true to the historical period, take no shortcuts: every fabric, silhouette, and flourish feels meticulously considered. It’s the kind of immersive, art-filled production that reminds you why opera endures.

As much as The Magic Flute continues to delight with its magic and humour, I would be remiss not to mention that the work also reflects the values and blind spots of its time, with plenty of racism and misogyny woven into its fabric (and of course, many have written on these issues before me). The cultural imagery surrounding Sarastro and his temple, with golden turbans and the ever-watchful Eye, draws from an eighteenth-century fascination with the “mystical East,” a kind of European daydream about wisdom and spirituality that leans more toward appropriation and Orientalism than genuine understanding. 

There’s also a built-in misogyny, where men are cast as rational and strong, and women as emotional and in need of guidance. For example in the repeated and unforgettable line: “Men are strong where women are weak; they think before they speak.” In this world, the Queen of the Night’s anger and power are framed as dangerous, while Pamina’s virtue is defined through patience and obedience. Hearing those ideas sung so earnestly makes their weight hard to ignore. I do not think the answer is to erase or rewrite these moments as they’re part of the opera’s history, but there’s certainly room to stage the work with more self-awareness in its visuals and design choices.

And as magical as the performance was once it began, the moments leading up to it were a bit more chaotic. Before the show, there was quite a bit of congestion in the lobby, with a huge crowd gathered outside the theatre as people tried to make their way in. Another dance performance was happening in the same building, which seemed to add to the confusion and crowding. To Opera Atelier’s credit, the show still started right on time, a welcome surprise for a three-hour production (since no one wants to prolong that any further). Yet, it did mean that many audience members were still finding their seats well into the first act, creating a different kind of distraction. It wasn’t enough to take away from the experience, but it did make for a somewhat scattered start.

Don’t let any of this dissuade you from seeing The Magic Flute the next time it returns, just be ready to talk about some of its themes if you are bringing younger audience members, and use it as a chance for a thoughtful conversation. Although this run has now closed, be sure to check out Opera Atelier’s next production, Debussy’s surrealist opera Pelléas et Mélisande, on stage from April 15–19, 2026, at Koerner Hall. I, for one, can’t wait.

The Magic Flute, presented by Opera Atelier played from October 15th to 19th at the Elgin Theatre (189 Yonge St, Toronto, ON M5B 1M4). Tickets ran from $68-$200 + tax and fees.

OperaAtelier.com Socials: @operaatelier

Photos by Bruce Zinger.

Written by Deanne Kearney
DeanneKearney.com @deannekearney