Scottish Opera: The Magic Flute

Before we begin: a confession. I. Have. Not. Seen. An. Opera. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve always fancied myself weeping through La Traviata or biting the seat in front of me with anticipation for the unmasking of the Phantom of the Opera but to be honest... I fear I don’t know enough to really appreciate the genre. So when given the opportunity to speak to a charming and charismatic opera singer whom The Daily Telegraph described as possessing “a tenor voice of real distinction,” I felt compelled to ask for advice on behalf of opera novices everywhere. “Just come with no preconceptions,” says Nicky Spence, “give it a bit of bravery and just turn up.”

Spence, who starred in Intermezzo last year, is to join the Scottish Opera’s production of Mozart’s The Magic Flute directed by Sir Thomas Allen and designed by Simon Higlett. The story is of Tamino (played by Spence) who falls madly in love with Pamina, the daughter of the Queen of The Night (played by acclaimed soprano Mari Moriya), having seen a picture of the young maiden. However she has been abducted by her mother’s nemesis Sarastro. Thus Tamino embarks on a rescue mission with only a flute and a blundering bird-catcher searching for love to help him. On the way the men begin to query the intentions of people surrounding them and discover there are more to things than meets the eye.

The Scottish Opera advertises the production as 'a beguiling mix of comedy, fantasy and pantomime' with Mozart’s music inspiring a spectrum of emotions from ‘heartfelt love songs’ to ‘comic exchanges’ and ‘explosive coloratura’ arias. It all sounds appealing. However my lack of ability to understand opera’s first language, Italian, is a secret concern to me. Spence unknowingly reassures me. “This opera is special as it is done in English and the story is not complicated... there is so much there for everybody and it can be just as appealing as seeing Sister Act or Dirty Dancing (on stage) or watching a film. You get as much guts and glory and passion and sex scenes in opera as you would in any blockbuster.”

For those well acquainted with The Magic Flute, I ask what it was like to work with Sir Thomas Allen and, in his debut role of Tamino, how he would portray this role in terms of characteristics. “Well it’s nice to take on a role for the first time with somebody who has had so much experience in this opera. I think what he really wants is honesty in the portrayal of the character and for me that’s fantastic because that’s the kind of mantra I try to stick to as well so it’s just really about trying to get down to the bare bones (of the character).”

What of the Scottish Opera’s statement of this interpretation being inspired by ‘steampunk’ Victoriana? What might an audience expect to see? “It’s really fantastical with things you wouldn’t necessarily imagine being welded together. It’s a bit like Scrapheap Challenge or something because you’ve got this bird attached to a music box or you’ve got pipes which blow smoke out of them and it’s just something you wouldn’t expect to see, so (this style) offers a whole other fantastical world which goes hand in hand with the story of The Magic Flute so I think it works really well. The set itself is very visual and stimulating to the eye, which is important especially because it’s a three hour show, so you want to be stimulated and intrigued the whole way through.”

With an intriguing theme, a professional cast and an easy to follow story, I ask if The Magic Flute would be a good prospect for a novice. He smiles warmly. “The whole thing has something for everybody and it’s something you can bring your granny or your first date to - whatever you like, bring them all!”