Originally published on metropolis.co.jp on March 2012

Renowned English theater director Peter Brook takes his final bow as head of Paris’s Théâtre des Bouffes du Nord with a highly acclaimed, stripped down version of the Mozart opera. In the 86-year-old Brook’s hands, the two-act opera is culled to a no-intermission 90-minute romp, with only a cast of seven singers, two actors and virtuoso pianist Remi Atasay to occupy the stage. Composed in 1791, Mozart’s beloved The Magic Flute follows the handsome Tamino as he overcomes trials to win the hand of the lovely Pamina.

Saitama Arts Theater, Mar 22-25 (listing).