The Magic Flute – The Reviews are in for Abbey Hammond

Congratulations to Abbey Hammond, a Music Stream student at the College who stars in Opera Australia’s production of The Magic Flute at the Sydney Opera House from 1st February to 16 March 2024.

Abbey plays the lead soprano as one of the “3 spirits”. And here are the reviews:

Review: The Magic Flute by Dianna Simmonds Stage Noise ★★★★½

Finally: three Spirits. These Spirits are given unusual prominence as the child sopranos also make the scene changes – scampering across the stage dragging curtains to and fro – altogether part of the action. On opening night these sprites were played by energetic actor Zev Mann, elegant Abbey Hammond and debonair James Valanidas – singing like angels throughout.

The Magic Flute by Peter McCallum SMH ★★★½

Kate Gaul’s new production of The Magic Flute imagines Mozart’s work as the sort of play children put on for adults on a wet Sunday afternoon – a lounge room for a theatre, a sheet for a curtain, and improvisation filling in the gaps.

Abbey Hammond, Zev Mann, and James Valanidas started the show, prowling with torches, which were later used for enchanting shadow play with cut-out dragons and birds. As the ThreeSpirits, these vocally and theatrically talented young performers stole the show with their carefully prepared singing and engagingly natural stage presence.

The Magic Flute – A laid-back new production of Mozart’s Opera by Michael Halliwell ABR Arts ★★★½

The spirits (Elijah Alkhair, Estelle Gilmovich. Abbey Hammond, Zev Mann, Thomas Prowse, and James Valanidas) were confident and sympathetic guides to Pamina and Papageno.