‘Exeunt pursued by bear’. Shakespeare’s famous stage direction from ‘A Winter’s Tale’ found it’s match in the opening seconds of Dominic Cooke’s production of ‘The Magic Flute’. Here it was a case of ‘enter pursued by giant angry lobster’ as Tamino, followed by the monster, made his dramatic entrance through one of the multiple doors which opened and closed simultaneously throughout in a way reminiscent of a Brian Rix farce.

And so the surrealist slant on proceedings, with much of its set based on the art of Dali and Magritte, set in motion a joyous interpretation of Mozart’s Singspiel. It was an evening that clearly set out to emphasise the comic pantomime elements rather than the more solemn masonic ones in the search for truth and wisdom. Key to this was Jacques Imbrailo‘s ultra South African Papageno who was excellent, as were the three ladies (Emma Carrington, Camilla Roberts and Máire Flavin).

Of the other roles Sophie Bevan showed herself to be a highly assured Pamina who possessed a great expressive range, while Allan Clayton was an ardent Tamino. The virtuoso arias of The Queen of the Night (here played by Samantha Hay) are always a highlight but lacked a little in fluency here. Lothar Koenigs conducted with conviction though there were some shaky moments in the on stage ensemble that he will wish to eradicate. His orchestra responded brilliantly with special plaudits going to violins and bassoons.