The Magic Flute review – happy return of an exhilaratingly inventive production

Coliseum, London
Featuring the best sung Pamina in years from Lucy Crowe, this revival of Simon McBurney’s ENO staging is highly engaging

The exhilarating achievement of Simon McBurney’s highly engaging production of Mozart’s Magic Flute for ENO, first seen at the Coliseum in 2013, is to draw its audience in by returning the piece to its roots as an eclectic entertainment. The unique theatrical personality of the piece is captured right from the start, with the orchestra raised from the pit to become very much part of a stage show that evolves around them and in which, in the case of the flautist and the celeste player, they actively participate.

Related: ENO's woes: opera company begins new year in offstage turmoil

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