History Theatre / TheMagicFlute

Pamina, bereft of her beloved, decides to kill herself. Fortunately, the Three Young Boys intervene and take her to Tamino, who can now apologize; Pamina is so overjoyed that she doesn't even make him sleep on the couch. Next, Papageno attempts the same thing, only to be saved by the [[DeusExMachina Three Young Boys]] and united with his no-longer-disguised-as-a-squishy-old-woman Papagena. Finally, the Queen of the Night, Monostatos and the Three Ladies attempt to attack the Temple, only to be... umm... Well, ''some''thing happens that takes them out of contention. But whatever, the bad guys die a lot, and both couples have their HappyEnding as the curtain falls.

Once the {{Intermission}} is over, Sarastro declares that Tamino and Papageno will have to undergo some [[OnlyTheWorthyMayPass character tests]] before he can let Pamina marry. Tamino, in the throes of love, agrees; Papageno needs to be bribed with the possibility of a LoveInterest of his own -- one who happens to be named Papagena. The main test is that both men need to be silent when confronted by women -- which, of course, is PlayedForDrama when one of the women who visits them is Pamina, leaving the chamber with the conclusion that Tamino no longer loves her. Papageno also gets the {{Squick}} of his life when a really old woman arrives and declares herself Papagena, his bride-to-be. (Of course, she's secretly a hot young woman in disguise, which just makes Papageno even more paranoid once this is revealed to him.) Finally, Monostatos sings his [[IWantSong I-Want-Pamina Song]] and eventually {{Face Heel Turn}}s over to the Queen of the Night. She performs an aria famous for its fantastically high glass-shattering notes in which she threatens to disown Pamina unless she kills Sarastro.

* [[WhatDoYouMeanItsNotAllegorical What do you mean, it's not allegorical?}}: Tamino is the human soul seeking enlightenment; Pamina is the Spirit of Enlightenment; the Queen of the Night is the Roman Catholic Church; Sarastro is Freemasonry. The Spirit of Enlightenment originally lived with the Church, but when the Church became more interested in power and wealth than the pursuit of wisdom, it was taken from her and went to live with the Freemasons.

* WriteWhoYouKnow: It's common belief that Mozart wrote Papageno, a cheerful, [[AttentionDeficitOohShiny easily-distracted]] fellow who falls in love with any woman he meets, based directly on himself.
** Alternately, he was based on Mozart's friend Emanuel Schikaneder, whom Mozart personally described almost word for word as Papageno is normally played... and who originated the part on stage.
** And the role of The Queen was originally played by Mozart's sister-in-law Josepha Weber, who, according to Mozart, was a cold and unpleasant person and only needed to "play herself".
*** In [[Amadeus]] there's a memorable scene in which Mozart's [[mother-in-law-from-Hell]] is telling him off and in the midst of her tirade she turns into the Queen of the Night.
** In a more musical example, Sarastro's vocal lines are quite simple, making the role accessible to a larger number of deep-voiced men, who are something of a minority to begin with. (It isn't known if Mozart wrote this way ''because'' all he had to hand was a bumbling James Earl Jones, but production managers have been thanking him ever since.)

* ScaryBlackMan: Monostatos is meant to be this, with a side of WhereDaWhiteWomenAt. This is typically subverted in modern productions due to the ValuesDissonance, turning him into a buffoon instead (which has UnfortunateImplications in itself) and/or giving him a RaceLift.

** The libretto states clearly that Pamina's father gifted the Sevenfold Circle of the Sun to the initiates on his deathbed, and that Sarastro wears it around his neck. The Queen of the Night is justifiably angry about it all. It would appear that the King may want to preserve gender-separation of the sun talisman (and maintain the balance of day and night), by donating the artifact to Sarastro..

** Explanation: Men and women's voices fully mature at different ages (women around 20, men around 35), and different voice types work within different age constraints. Coloratura soprano roles like the Queen require an agile, athletic kind of voice, which is much more common in younger singers. Lyric soprano roles like Pamina, however, are more suitable for an interpretative artist, and that is much easier for someone with years of experience under her belt.

* WoundedGazelleGambit: How the Queen of the Night manages to convince Tamino that Sarastro is a villain, and that she is a poor grieving mother.

* ScaryBlackMan: Monostatos is meant to be this, with a side of WhereTheWhiteWomenAt. This is typically subverted in modern productions due to the ValuesDissonance, turning him into a buffoon instead (which has UnfortunateImplications in itself) and/or giving him a RaceLift.

The last opera WolfgangAmadeusMozart ever wrote (''La clemenza di Tito'' was composed after the Flute was started, but before its completion), right after he was initiated into the Freemasons; the libretto is thus rife with that organization's symbolism. '''''The Magic Flute''''' is actually closer to our understanding of a {{Musical}} than {{Opera}}: it is generally as seen as LighterAndSofter than, say, Creator/RichardWagner's ''[[Theatre/DerRingDesNibelungen The Ring of the Nibelung]]'', and deals more with the themes of ignorance versus wisdom and the virtues of love and family rather than the fall of the gods and the end of the world. Also, being a "''singspiel''," it has dialogue, not just singing. To make a long story short, this was the Mozartian equivalent of ''JosephAndTheAmazingTechnicolorDreamcoat'', with which it shares a similar level of popularity within its genre.

* FridgeLogic: If the Queen and her servants lose their powers when the sun rises, why do they decide to attack the temple two minutes before sunrise? Especially since the Queen very successfully infiltrates it hours before that.
** Also the question of why the Queen's three ladies suggest the three boys as traveling companions for Tamino and Papageno, even though the boys are obviously not on the Queen's side. This was averted in the Bergman film, though. And, by the way, why did Tamino not resort to sign language or something to indicate that he was not allowed to speak to Pamina, instead of just letting her go off and try to kill herself?
*** An argument can be made that the three boys are djinni or some other form of simple helper spirit. Their orders seem to be merely to "guide [Tamino and Papageno] on [their] journey." If this is taken to be the case, then it's less surprising that as supporting Sarastro over the Queen becomes the better option for Tamino and Papageno, the boys' loyalty also shifts.

* [[WhatDoYouMeanItsNotPolitical What Do You Mean, It's Not Political?]]: The Queen of the Night is said to have been based on the conservative Empress Maria Theresa, who opposed the "Enlightenment" (get it?) and favored the '''black'''-habited Jesuits (get it? '''black''', like Monostatos?) -- fervent opponents of the Freemasons (hence also some of the misogyny of the opera). Following from this, it is quite likely that Tamino represents Joseph II, while Pamina possibly represents Austria or perhaps Europe in general.

Once the {{Intermission}} is over, Sarastro declares that Tamino and Papageno will have to undergo some [[OnlyTheWorthyMayPass character tests]] before he can let Pamina marry. Tamino, in the throes of love, agrees; Papageno needs to be bribed with the possibility of a LoveInterest of his own -- one who happens to be named Papagena. The main test is that both men need to be silent when confronted by women -- which, of course, is PlayedForDrama when one of the women who visits them is Pamina, leaving the chamber with the conclusion that Tamino no longer loves her. Papageno also gets the {{Squick}} of his life when a really old woman arrives and declares herself Papagena, his bride-to-be. (Of course, she's secretly a hot young woman in disguise, which just makes Papageno even more paranoid once this is revealed to him.) Finally, Monostatos sings his [[IWantSong I-Want-Pamina Song]] and eventually {{Face Heel Turn}}s over to the Queen of the Night. She has another glass-cracking aria instructing Pamina to kill Sarastro.

The action starts with a prince from a foreign land, Tamino, chased onstage by a giant serpent. He faints in the face (teeth) of death, and so does not notice when three [[LadyOfWar Ladies Of War]] show up; the Three Ladies immediately swoon over his MrFanservice good looks and argue over which of them will return to report to their ruler, the Queen of the Night, and which of them will get to stay and, ahem, revive him. Eventually, they make the sensible decision that all three of them return, leaving Tamino alone again. (...Okay, sensibility rescinded.) Tamino awakes in time to meet Papageno, the Queen of the Night's royal bird-catcher, an eccentric fellow frequently costumed in feather-and-beak motifs. He sings a pleasant SidekickSong about his easy-going philosophy and [[IJustWantToBeLoved lack of love life]]. The Three Ladies now return and show Tamino the portrait of a PrincessClassic, Pamina, resulting in LoveAtFirstSight. Then the Queen of the Night herself appears, and, in an aria famous for containing notes high enough to break glass, promises Tamino her daughter Pamina's hand in marriage... ''IF'' Tamino can SaveThePrincess, who has been captured by a guy with the ominous name of Sarastro. The Queen gives Tamino his [[TitleDrop Magic Flute]], Papageno a set of magic bells (both of which have the power to CharmPerson [[MagicMusic when you play them]]), and tour guides in the form of [[CrossDressingVoices Three Young Boys]], and sends them on their way.

''The Magic Flute'' has been made into two movies (as well as numerous filmed stage performances). ''Trollflöjten'' (1975), a Swedish translation filmed by Creator/IngmarBergman, was a semi-surrealist, NoFourthWall fantasy which shows not only the audience, the stage and the theatre, but how the singers kill time while offstage. It is now part of TheCriterionCollection. ''The Magic Flute'' (2006), directed by KennethBranagh with a new English translation by StephenFry, is more traditional, aside from being [[RecycledInSpace set during]] WorldWarI.

* [[PlayingGertrude Gertrude]]: Many a soprano sang the Queen of the Night first before later taking on the role of Pamina.
** Explanation: Men and women's voices fully mature at different ages (women around 20, men around 35), and different voice types work within different age constraints. Coloratura soprano roles like the Queen require an agile, athletic kind of voice, which is much more common in younger singers. Lyric soprano roles like Pamina, however, are more suitable for an interpretive artist, and that is much easier for someone with years of experience under her belt.

The last opera WolfgangAmadeusMozart ever wrote (''la clemenza di Tito'' was composed after the Flute was started, but before its completion), right after he was initiated into the Freemasons; the libretto is thus rife with that organization's symbolism. '''''The Magic Flute''''' is actually closer to our understanding of a {{Musical}} than {{Opera}}: it is generally as seen as LighterAndSofter than, say, Creator/RichardWagner's ''[[Theatre/DerRingDesNibelungen The Ring of the Nibelung]]'', and deals more with the themes of ignorance versus wisdom and the virtues of love and family rather than the fall of the gods and the end of the world. Also, being a "''singspiel''," it has dialogue, not just singing. To make a long story short, this was the Mozartian equivalent of ''JosephAndTheAmazingTechnicolorDreamcoat'', with which it shares a similar level of popularity within its genre.

** And the Sevenfold Circle of the Sun, to acquire it, The Queen of the Night urges her daughter Pamina to kill Sarastro.

''The Magic Flute'' has been made into two movies (as well as numerous filmed stage performances). ''Trollflöjten'' (1975), a Swedish translation filmed by IngmarBergman, was a semi-surrealist, NoFourthWall fantasy which shows not only the audience, the stage and the theatre, but how the singers kill time while offstage. It is now part of TheCriterionCollection. ''The Magic Flute'' (2006), directed by KennethBranagh with a new English translation by StephenFry, is more traditional, aside from being [[RecycledInSpace set during]] WorldWarI.

The action starts with a prince from a foreign land, Tamino, chased onstage by a giant serpent. He faints in the face (teeth) of death, and so does not notice when three [[LadyOfWar Ladies Of War]] show up; the Three Ladies immediately swoon over his MrFanservice good looks and argue over which of them will return to report to their ruler, the Queen of the Night, and which of them will get to stay and, ahem, revive him. Eventually, they make the sensible decision that all three of them return, leaving Tamino alone again. (...Okay, sensibility rescinded.) Tamino awakes in time to meet Papageno, the Queen of the Night's royal bird-catcher, an eccentric fellow frequently costumed in feather-and-beak motifs. He sings a pleasant IAmSong about his SidekickSong philosophy and lack of love life. The Three Ladies now return and show Tamino the portrait of a PrincessClassic, Pamina, resulting in LoveAtFirstSight. Then the Queen of the Night herself appears, and, in an aria famous for containing notes high enough to break glass, promises Tamino her daughter Pamina's hand in marriage... ''IF'' Tamino can SaveThePrincess, who has been captured by a guy with the ominous name of Sarastro. The Queen gives Tamino his [[TitleDrop Magic Flute]], Papageno a set of magic bells (both of which have the power to CharmPerson [[MagicMusic when you play them]]), and tour guides in the form of [[CrossDressingVoices Three Young Boys]], and sends them on their way.

The last opera WolfgangAmadeusMozart ever wrote (''la clemenza di Tito'' was composed after the Flute was started, but before its completion), right after he was initiated into the Freemasons; the libretto is thus rife with that organization's symbolism. '''''The Magic Flute''''' is actually closer to our understanding of a {{Musical}} than {{Opera}}: it is generally as seen as LighterAndSofter than, say, Creator/RichardWagner's ''[[DerRingDesNibelungen The Ring of the Nibelung]]'', and deals more with the themes of ignorance versus wisdom and the virtues of love and family rather than the fall of the gods and the end of the world. Also, being a "''singspiel''," it has dialogue, not just singing. To make a long story short, this was the Mozartian equivalent of ''JosephAndTheAmazingTechnicolorDreamcoat'', with which it shares a similar level of popularity within its genre.

* CanNotSpitItOut: Literally. Or as Papageno himself puts it: "Mmh-mmh, mmh-mmh, mmh-mmh-mmh-mmh". Later, more serious version with the ordeal of silence, which verges on PoorCommunicationKills.

The last opera WolfgangAmadeusMozart ever wrote (''la clemenza di Tito'' was composed after the Flute was started, but before its completion), right after he was initiated into the Freemasons; the libretto is thus rife with that organization's symbolism. '''''The Magic Flute''''' is actually closer to our understanding of a {{Musical}} than {{Opera}}: it is generally as seen as LighterAndSofter than, say, RichardWagner's ''[[DerRingDesNibelungen The Ring of the Nibelung]]'', and deals more with the themes of ignorance versus wisdom and the virtues of love and family rather than the fall of the gods and the end of the world. Also, being a "''singspiel''," it has dialogue, not just singing. To make a long story short, this was the Mozartian equivalent of ''JosephAndTheAmazingTechnicolorDreamcoat'', with which it shares a similar level of popularity within its genre.

* AmazonBrigade: The Queen and her Three Ladies, before Monostatos does his FaceHeelTurn and joins them.

* ChewingTheScenery: The Queen of the Night is usually played like this, especially once she gives up the WoundedGazelleGambit. Her best-known aria pretty much ''demands'' taking a big bite out of the scenery, though.
* ChickMagnet: Tamino - just watch the three ladies squabbling over him.

* DamselInDistress: Subverted with Pamina, and played (oddly) near-straight except for gender with Tamino, the designated hero, who enters screaming and swooning and has to be rescued by the three ladies. He gets better.
* DistaffCounterpart: Papagena, sometimes right down to the feathery outfit.

* FallingForSomeoneNeverMet: Tamino only needs to see Pamina's picture to fall in love.

* LoveBeforeFirstSight: Tamino and Pamina.

The action starts with a prince from a foreign land, Tamino, chased onstage by a giant serpent. He faints in the face (teeth) of death, and so does not notice when three [[LadyOfWar Ladies Of War]] show up; the Three Ladies immediately swoon over his EstrogenBrigadeBait good looks and argue over which of them will return to report to their ruler, the Queen of the Night, and which of them will get to stay and, ahem, revive him. Eventually, they make the sensible decision that all three of them return, leaving Tamino alone again. (...Okay, sensibility rescinded.) Tamino awakes in time to meet Papageno, the Queen of the Night's royal bird-catcher, an eccentric fellow frequently costumed in feather-and-beak motifs. He sings a pleasant IAmSong about his SidekickSong philosophy and lack of love life. The Three Ladies now return and show Tamino the portrait of a PrincessClassic, Pamina, resulting in LoveAtFirstSight. Then the Queen of the Night herself appears, and, in an aria famous for containing notes high enough to break glass, promises Tamino her daughter Pamina's hand in marriage... ''IF'' Tamino can SaveThePrincess, who has been captured by a guy with the ominous name of Sarastro. The Queen gives Tamino his [[TitleDrop Magic Flute]], Papageno a set of magic bells (both of which have the power to CharmPerson [[MagicMusic when you play them]]), and tour guides in the form of [[CrossDressingVoices Three Young Boys]], and sends them on their way.