'Matchbox Magic Flute' transforms Mozart's classic, taking it to fabulous new heights

“The Magic Flute,” Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s musical tale of love, magic, merriment and morality, enjoyed immediate success at its 1791 premiere in Vienna and it remains among the most beloved and frequently presented operas today.

Though this masterpiece, a kind of fairy tale marked by Enlightenment ideals and Masonic elements, has been staged in all kinds of periods and locales and interpreted every which way, the Goodman Theatre has conjured a decidedly distinctive take.

In a production that has already been extended through March 24, the company is presenting the world premiere of “The Matchbox Magic Flute,” a family-friendly adaptation that condenses the story to about two hours and employs just five musicians and 10 actors.

The brainchild of Manilow Resident Director Mary Zimmerman, her 18th production in a three-decade affiliation with the Goodman, this miniaturized conception is charming, zany, fun and abundantly imaginative.

That said, for devotees of Mozart’s original and grand opera in general, it can be something of a shock. Inevitably, there is an urge to make comparisons, to try to figure what’s missing and what’s been kept, and some purists will no doubt be offended.

But it’s important to realize that this is not so much a version of Mozart’s opera but something new with its own score adapted and arranged by Amanda Dehnert and Andre Pluess, and its own libretto adapted by Zimmerman.

Both in terms of style and scale, “The Matchbox Magic Flute” is not really operatic, and it’s not trying to be. It is performed by amplified actors who sing (only one is a professional opera singer), and quite well, it must be said, but not singers who act as would be found in an opera house.

And as polished as the production’s dauntless five-member orchestra (capably led from the keyboard by pianist Paul Mutzabaugh) is, it is a far cry from the much larger and more expansive ensembles found in opera houses.

Liz Lauren

Zimmerman, who has directed opera, including a production of “The Magic Flute” at the Chicago Opera Theater in 1996, makes no bones about these differences and what she is trying to achieve. In an interview in the program, she says, “It is a hybrid, a playful variation . . . This little ‘Flute’ is more a creature of the theater, not opera. As am I.”

Both in the conception of this work and its realization, Zimmerman has deliberately mixed past and present. While this new score keeps elements of Mozart’s original, like the delightful “Papegano/Papegana” duet in Act 2, it has a breezier, more updated feel.

The same is true of the English-language libretto (the original was in German), which cleverly mixes flowery, historical discourse with modern-day references to Lake Shore Drive and witty rhymes like “I know an eagle — a paralegal! — she’ll make it legal.”

Zimmerman has done much the same with her old-new staging. This production takes place in the Goodman’s jewel-box, courtyard-style Owen Theatre, on which is installed a handsome 18th-century-style proscenium with three chandeliers.

In a time when so much theater is focused on flashy projections and sleek effects, Todd Rosenthal’s set design is a low-tech affair, with Zimmerman relying on old-fashioned theatrical means like smart wordplay, clever interactions and high-energy movement, to make it all work.

Like the abridged libretto, the action has been compressed onto the Owen’s tiny 20-by-15-foot stage, giving the production a startling intimacy and immediacy that is just not possible in a large opera theater.

This is very much an ensemble work, and the cast is strong top to bottom, with all the members, many taking on dual roles, buying into the unusual hybrid nature of this production and its old-new comedic vibe.

The operatically trained Emily Rohm delivers a deliciously over-the-top portrayal of the villainous Queen of the Night and deftly handles the demanding vocal coloratura or ornamentation of the role.

A terrific comic actor, Shawn Pfautsch convincingly conveys the fecklessness and fears of Papegeno, a half-bird with a carrot-like beak, as well as his loneliness and longing for love. With her full, flowing voice, Marlene Fernandez delivers some of the production’s most striking singing in her Goodman debut as Pamina, and she is well matched by Billy Rude as Prince Tamino.

“The Matchbox Magic Flute” might not have the depth or scope of Mozart’s original, but it has plenty to offer of its own. Look for other theater companies to quickly seize onto this new take.