Magdalena Kuźma / Anmeldelser

Considering it is centuries old, Mozart’s “The Magic Flute” happily manages to pull off some surprises, thanks to Opera Orlando’s clever and inventive staging of the comic adventure tale. The first one occurs as the curtain rises and our hero, Tamino, is fighting a dragon, as the story dictates. But this dragon is a fanciful creature designed by Nic Parks of MicheLee Puppets. The large-scale animal puppets are just part of the inventive and engaging production design by Grant Preisser — who also wrote the English dialogue and directs.