Ballet Austin Presents: The Magic Flute
May 6, 7 & 8
Long Center for Performing Arts (701 W. Riverside Drive)
Tickets start at $24
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This weekend marks the world premiere of Stephen Mills' The Magic Flute, an original ballet that combines innovative scenery, costumes and choreography with Mozart's classic opera.
Ballet Austin fans have come to expect great things from each new staging, but this production seems especially ambitious -- it's a must-see for dance lovers around town and well-timed for Mother's Day celebrations. From what we've read and seen so far, it looks like The Magic Flute will further solidify Mills' reputation as a strong creative force and a true asset to Austin's cultural scene.
The themes and characters of the original opera are enlivened with fantastical elements, shadow puppetry, and a carefully-trimmed symphonic score (the original opera is four hours long, so local composer Dr. Donald Grantham was recruited to help edit it to a danceable length). Mills was inspired to create the piece after visiting the 2009 Venice Biennale. He came up with the idea to put a new twist on an old story by using shadow techniques, and ended up hiring a San Francisco company called ShadowLight as well as some top local talents in costume and scenery design to fully express his vision.
The production features the work of costume designer Susan Branch Towne (Cult of Color: Call to Color) and scenery by Michael Raiford. Ballet Austin's blog provides a behind-the-scenes look at these various elements (we found the six-part costume series to be especially cool).
We look forward to seeing how everything comes together on the stage, and to celebrating such a unique world premiere right here in town. Tickets are available here.
