In the last live simulcast of the season, the Metropolitan Opera in New York City will send “Die Zauberflöte,” aka Mozart’s “The Magic Flute,” to the North Olympic Peninsula this Saturday.
One of the best-known operas in the repertoire — with lots of recognizable music by Mozart — “Flute” is set in a mythical place between the sun and the moon. Alone in this strange land is Prince Tamino, who is attacked by a giant serpent. He loses consciousness, and when he comes to, finds he’s been rescued by three ladies who work for the Queen of the Night. They show the prince a portrait of Pamina, the Queen’s daughter, who is held captive by the evil Sarastro. Tamino falls instantly in love with Pamina.
Then the queen herself appears and promises the prince her daughter’s hand in marriage if he can just rescue her. To help him on his quest, the queen’s ladies give him a magic flute and three magical spirits to guide him. And so the story begins.
Show time is 9:55 a.m. for the live in HD performance in both Port Angeles and Port Townsend.
The Juan de Fuca Foundation for the Arts and Ghostlight Productions will host the opera at the Elks lodge, 131 E. First St. Tickets are available at jffa.org/met and at the door. Prices range from $14 for students and $18 for seniors to $24 general. Patrons can order refreshments including mimosas, coffee and baked treats during the three-hour performance. During intermission, as with the rest of the Met productions, patrons can watch behind-the-scenes cast interviews with host Ben Bliss.
In Port Townsend, the show lights the movie screen at the Rose Theatre, 235 Taylor St. Ticket prices are the same as in Port Angeles. Information can be found at rosetheatre.com.
“It has been such a fabulous season of operas from the Met,” said Juan de Fuca Foundation executive director Kyle LeMaire.
“We’ve been so honored to bring these epic productions to Port Angeles,” he added.
The next Met season starts in September. Ghostlight Productions board president Ron Graham said Ghostlight’s headquarters, in the former McCrorie Furniture building next door to the Lincoln Theater on First Street, will host the 2023-2024 series of live simulcasts.
For information about the organization, see ghostlightWA.org.
