Myth and Magic at the Gaiety

Oval Victorian Splendour

Daylight gave a bright lustre to the red velvet and mahogany fittings of the  plush interiors of The Gaiety Theatre and it was pleasant to dawdle in the comfortable bars of Dublin's Victorian pleasure palace on a midweek afternoon in anticipation of the first matinée performance of Mozart's Magic Flute from Irish National Opera. A different sort of vibe prevailed than is usual at an evening event, The audience a little less voluble with the younger and older generations more fully represented than usual in  the house which looked about 75% full.

Wren boy Ring 

Morrigans meet the boys

There was a  enticing storybook quality to Caroline Staunton's staging with an abundance of vivid colours and textures. The characters looked as though they are plucked from the handsome  illustrations of either Celtic myths or a Dickens novel.Sets and lighting by Ciaran Bagnall created a magical setting that was very beguiling. A confluence of  elegance flowed from the stage design to the historic venue itself.  The oval two tier set was echoed in the auditorium as though it been cut to fit this space.  Strong performances across large cast  and a 24 strong chorus.  A red cloaked Anna Devin was terrific as Pamino. Kim Sheehan as Queen of the Night re imagined as a stooped and horned pooka hit all the high notes with crystal clear accuracy. Gavan Ring dressed as a wren boy  made much merriment from the role of Papageno. Nick Pritchard was an excellent Tamino. Andrew Gavin impressed as Monostatos. There was a hint of "The Greatest Showman" in Lukas Jakobski's Sarastro in top hat and scarlet coat.  Berlin bound Padraic Rowan  made an impression in the minor  role of speaker. The Irish Chamber Orchestra worked hard in the sunken pit. The woodwind ensemble sounding so clear and effortless in this acoustic. Fiona Kelly on flute and Richard McGrath  on glockenspiel provided the sprinkling of instrumental  fairy dust.

'The Greatest Showman'

The production ended the 18/19 season of the company. Any qualms about INO maintaining the high bar set by the opening production of Marriage of Figaro were quelled in this fantastic production which proved a superb bookend for the season. Bravo tutti!

The production finishes on Sunday with another afternoon performance on Saturday. Well worth an excursion.