The famous dancer, mime, actor, choreographer, director Lindsay Kemp, an icon in the international theater of the late twentieth century, returns to Teatro Goldoni in Livorno staging a new production of Die Zauberflöte (The Magic Flute) by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, signing direction, sets and costumes. The opera, premiered on 11 and 13 November 2016 in Livorno, has already been represented at Teatro Verdi in Pisa and Teatro del Giglio in Lucca and it ‘s going to be staged at Luglio Musicale Trapanese in autumn 2017. Great success for all the performances by audience and critic. The collaboration between Kemp and the Teatro of Livorno began in 1998 with an acclaimed production of Mascagni’s Iris (celebrating the centenary of the first representation) and continued with the production of Maschere, Traviata, Midsummer Night’s Dream and a fairy-tale Magic Flute in 1999, undoubtly his favorite work. It’s useful to stress – said David Haughton as The Magic Flute is close to the artistic nature of Kemp not only for the bizarre mix of musical languages in the score, similar to the theatrical language of the British artist, but also for the pecularity of the subject that mixes sacre and profane, seriousness and humor, fantastic and everyday. In this production, Kemp tries first of all to imagine Mozart’s idea. So, it was natural to choose a setting evoking the late eighteenth century just with a bit of irony, at least for costumes and gestures. For the scenery, instead, he chose a fixed monumental structure that reflects the rediscovery of Roman architecture, with a part of Egyptian and Asian exoticism. “I wanted to create a production as I believed Mozart would have wanted it- said Kemp – through the eyes of a child: a magical tale that will enchant the soul of everyone who sees it”. So, even in this production, Kemp searched the essence of the story to be transmitted. The love between a prince and a princess, dragons and magical musical instruments, cosmic plots and peasant comedy: impressive situations simply performed to make the unbelievable believable for the viewer and to create a fairytale where the most unlikely events have the inevitability of a dream.
“A Magic Flute without strange or modern settings, but more fairytale-like than ever. A fine, high quality edition”. (TG3 RAI, Francesco Tei)
“The director, with surprising lightness, has filled Mozart’s masterpiece with a breeze of childlike joy, reawakening the child we all hide in our souls”. (Corriere della Sera, Marco Gasperetti)
“A message of happiness and freedom. Kemp’s Magic Flute triumphed in an incredibly packed theatre. (Il Tirreno, Maria Teresa Giannoni)
“The first half hour is pure poetry, childlike enchantment. Like leafing through a picture book”. (La Repubblica, Gregorio Moppi)
“A Magic Flute that doesn’t try to shock or disorientate the public with improbable historical or geographical settings. Kemp’s Magic Flute is and remains an exotic fairytale”. (Aurora International Journal)
“I wanted to create a production as I believed Mozart would have wanted it, seen through the eyes of a child: a magical tale that will enchant and lift the soul of everyone who sees it.” (Lindsay Kemp, Director and Costume and Set designer)