Apollo's Fire

When Mozart wrote The Magic Flute way back in 1791, it became a raging box-office sensation: written in the language of the people and featuring light, youthful voices, it was performed more than 100 times in its first year alone. “In short,” says Jeannette Sorrell, music director of Apollo’s Fire, “this is not an opera and it was never intended for operatic voices. It is a musical.” And that’s just the way Sorrell is staging it this weekend: as popular music theatre, performed in English with a young cast of singers. The internationally acclaimed baroque chamber orchestra is known for performing on period instruments, and The Magic Flute will be no exception — right down to the period-reconstruction glockenspiel from London that Sorrell will play as she directs, just as Mozart did in the 1790s. The semi-staged production will also feature pair of baroque dancers portraying a series of enchanted creatures; and the stage will be set with specially designed scenic banners that evoke a period-inspired fairy tale. In other words, it’s a family friendly, two-hour show that Mozart would be proud to call his own. Friday’s performance is at 7:30 p.m. at Oberlin College’s Finney Chapel. Encores are set for Friday, March 23, at Severance Hall and Saturday, March 24 at Kent State University. Ticket prices vary with location. Check out the website for details.