The Magic Flute (Die Zauberflöte) By Wolfgang A. Mozart

Synopsis

The Magic Flute: LA Edition

• New storyline version and text by Andreas Mitisek 

Act 1
Tamino almost wipes out surfing on a sundrenched beach. Saved by three corporate drones working for the Queen of the Night, CEO of Starshine Corp. A chicken vendor named Papageno shows up, lying his tail off as chicken vendors often do.

The Queen's daughter Pamina has gone AWOL. The Queen suspects Sarastro, some guru with a wellness racket, has her. Tamino gets recruited for the rescue mission. Papageno gets drafted as sidekick. Neither asks they really important questions. So it goes.

At Sarastro's ‘Namaste Wellness Center’, we meet Monostatos—17 restraining orders in 3 states to his name and now employed as a "spiritual counselor." He's after Pamina, who'd rather eat glass. Papageno bumbles in as advance rescue while Tamino's stuck trying to find the entrance. They attempt to escape, but Monostatos catches them and delivers them to Sarastro, who spouts wisdom-babble instead of pressing charges. Tamino meets Pamina. Love at first sight, apparently—though real love has better timing. Sarastro convinces the surfer and chicken vendor to endure "spiritual warrior trials" to find their "perfect mates." They sign up without reading the fine print. Americans never do

Act 2
The trials begin with hallucinogens and a vow of silence—standard cult initiation stuff - with the appearance of 3 Exec Secretaries and then 3 P.I’s to warn/ help against/for all kinds of things. The whole enterprise starts to reek of desperation. In between Monostatos has a blistering revelation and quits the retreat.

While Tamino trips on enlightenment, Pamina misinterprets his silence as rejection. She contemplates suicide, her mind a runaway freight train of paranoia barreling through the wilderness of abandonment when suddenly an unexpected solution and complication presents itself. The 3 P.I. spirits give Pamina solution-focused speed therapy and assure her of Tamino’s love. Crisis averted until the next one.
 
Tamino endures his final fire-walk trial—another man enduring pointless suffering for club membership perks. Papageno fails his trials but expects full benefits anyway. He spirals into ‘spaghettification’ near the black hole of hopelessness before he experiences the hidden power of surprise. 

Everything wraps up neatly with a movie deal and songs about eternal love, everyone conveniently forgetting suicide attempts, vengeful mothers, and cultish trials. 

This kind of magical story can only happen in opera, where reality takes a vacation. But then, nowadays reality has outdone opera, composing absurdities no librettist would dare write. 
So it goes.

Performances

• Fri. April 11, 7:30 PM
• Sat. April 12, 2:00 PM & 7:30 PM
• Sun. April 13, 2:00 PM

Creative Team

Conductors
Andreas Mitisek
Hayoung Jeong (Sun. Apr. 13)

Stage Director
Andreas Mitisek

Set/Video Design
Andreas Mitisek

Costume Designer
Erik Lawrence

Lighting Designer
Dan Weingarten

Makeup Designer
Erik Lawrence

Props Designer
Andreas Mitisek

Assistant Conductor
Hayoung Jeong

Rehearsal Pianists
You Zhao
Cathy Yang
Caleb Salguero 

Cast

• Fri. April 11, 7:30 pm
• Sat. April 12, 7:30 pm

Tamino (a surfer looking for the perfect wave)
Alexander Cobos

Pamina (a girl looking for the meaning of life)
Lily Berthold

Papageno (a fried chicken street vendor)
Zachary Mascarinas

Papagena (a maid at Sarastro's center)
Madee Raymundo

Queen of the Night (CEO Starshine Corp.)
Andrea Church (guest)

Sarastro (guru of Namaste wisdom center)
Ronn Sentosa

Monostatos (a Sarastro follower with relationship issues)
Mario A. Redondo Luna

Speaker of the Temple/Second spiritual warrior (Assistant to Sarastro)
Carter Topel

First spiritual warrior (Assistant to Sarastro)
Josh Juarroz

Executive Secretaries at Starshine Corp.
Emily Zarza
Melissa Tovar
Anaies Barseghian

Spirits (undercover Private Eyes)
Keely Dunne
Sofia Marmaud
Audrey Thompson

Sarastro followers
Jacquelynn Cuellar
Sierra Swift
Genevieve Velarde
Josh Juarroz

Ensemble
Anaies Barseghian, John Carroll, Jacquelynn Cuellar, Ruth Dunlop, Keely Dunne, Ashley Holguin, Joshua Juarroz, Mario Redondo Luna, Sofia Marmaud, Zoë Martinez, Zachary Mascarinas, Madee Raymundo, Ronn Sentosa, Antonio Serrano, Callie Shehan, Eleanor Sullens, Sierra Swift, Audrey Thompson, Carter Topel, Melissa Tovar, Genevieve Velarde, Emily Zarza

• Sat. April 12, 2:00 pm
• Sun. April 13, 2:00 pm

Tamino (a surfer looking for the perfect wave)
Antonio Serrano

Pamina (a girl looking for the meaning of life)
Ashley Holguin

Papageno (a fried chicken street vendor)
John Carroll

Papagena (a maid at Sarastro's center)
Callie Shehan

Queen of the Night (CEO Starshine Corp.)
Andrea Church (guest)

Sarastro (guru of Namaste wisdom center)
Ronn Sentosa

Monostatos (a Sarastro follower with relationship issues)
Mario A. Redondo Luna

Speaker of the Temple/Second spiritual warrior (Assistant to Sarastro)
Carter Topel

First spiritual warrior (Assistant to Sarastro)
Josh Juarroz

Executive Secretaries at Starshine Corp.
Ruth Dunlop
Eleanor Sullens
Anaies Barseghian

Spirits (undercover Private Eyes)
Madee Raymundo
Zoë Martinez
Audrey Thompson

Sarastro followers
Jacquelynn Cuellar
Sierra Swift
Genevieve Velarde
Josh Juarroz

Ensemble
Anaies Barseghian, Lily Berthold, Alexander Cobos, Jacquelynn Cuellar, Ruth Dunlop, Keely Dunne, Joshua Juarroz, Mario Redondo Luna, Sofia Marmaud, Zoë Martinez, Zachary Mascarinas, Madee Raymundo, Ronn Sentosa, Callie Shehan, Eleanor Sullens, Sierra Swift, Audrey Thompson, Carter Topel, Melissa Tovar, Genevieve Velarde, Emily Zarza

Orchestra

Violin 1
Namiah Miller, Concertmaster
Nikki Iv
Jimin Kim

Violin 2
April Gurrola, Principal
Zoe Folwell

Viola
Mary Lieblang, Principal
Nicholas Ha

Cello
Naomi Bernardino, Principal
Devan Jacobsen

Bass
Jeremy Wright

Flute/Piccolo
Ella Peirce

Oboe
Elian Kleparek

Clarinet
Garrett Walker

Bassoon
Julianne Fung

French Horn
Jonathan Westerfield

Trumpet
Dylan Johnson

Timpani & Percussion
Michael Holguin

Celesta
You Zhao

Production Team

Production Manager
Andreas Mitisek

Stage Manager
Carson Gilmore

Assistant Stage Managers
Julian Fernandez
Eduardo Martinez

Light Board Operators
Kaitlyn Allen
Sonia Giansiracusa

Video Technician, Digital Program
Eduardo Martinez

House Managers
Aliyah Smith
Alisa Salcedo

Technical Director
Tony Martinez

Supertitles Operator
Mary Cullity

Crew
Apollo Artry, Sarah Bell, Dante Cimo, Saul Diaz, Sonia Giansiracusa, Deshawn Mims

BCCM Opera/Vocal/Choral Faculty

Director of Opera Studies
Andreas Mitisek

Director of Vocal Studies
Alexander Hahn

Director of Choral Studies
Jonathan Talberg

Director of Vocal Jazz
Christine Guter

Director of Opera Studies Emeritus
Diction for Singers/French Diction
David Anglin

Voice Faculty
Aram Barsamian
John Buffett
Devon Guthrie
Alexander Hahn
Steven Kronauer
Katharin Rundus
Jennifer Sung
Emily Thebaut

Opera Program Executive Development Committee

David Anglin
Jermie Arnold
Beverly August
Amalia Francalangia
Alexander Hahn
Suzan Hanson
Marylin Kates
Charmaine Meyer
Andreas Mitisek
Kip Polakoff
Johannes Müller Stosch
Jonathan Talberg
Samuel Warner

Special Thanks

Jermie Arnold
JoAnn Billings
Marcus Carline
Rychard Cooper
Alexander Hahn
Noreen Kimura
Matthew Pogue
Johannes Müller Stosch
Jonathan Talberg
Ashley-Boehne Ehlers
Jasmine Flores
David Goyette
Tony Martinez
Rob Waltz
Mitchell Domingo
Lalena Hutton

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Thank you for joining us this evening! We look forward to seeing you at future Opera Program performances, as well as other BCCM events.