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While busloads of people piled into Drew University on April 13 to listen to former President Bill Clinton speak, one bus made its way out of the parking lot -- to the Metropolitan Opera in New York.

That bus carried a group of 25 people to see Julie Taymor's production of Mozart's Die Zauberfl�te (The Magic Flute). The event was organized by instructor and coordinator of German Elfriede Smith and professor of music Lydia Ledeen. Students, a parent, faculty and some students from Madison High School all attended.

The opera opened with the main character Tamino (played by Matthew Polenzani) being chased by a serpent.

The snake resembled a dragon from a Chinese New Year festival, each segment of it being carried by an individual dressed entirely in black.

Rather than being red, however, the serpent in this drama was a dark silver color. The rest of the set design was even more impressive. Junior Susanne Barakat was "surprised by how modern the set is."

George Tsypin, the set designer, effectively used the opera house's moving stage, creating large clear building fronts for each of the different scenes which moved in a circle as necessary. The use of a transparent material not only added depth to the set, but allowed for a play with colors reflecting the mood of the scenes.

Freshman Robert Roland, who decided to come along after receiving the campus-wide e-mail advertising the trip, said, "I am impressed by the use of the kaleidoscope effect and the triangles," which are two elements of the design mentioned in the Playbill.

Julie Taymor wrote, "The simplicity and purity of the form, with its magical, transforming powers, ensure a Flute that operates on a symbolic plane as well as an earthly, dramatic one."

The opera is not simply a dramatic play about the relationship between the characters Tamino and Pamina or the trials set for Tamino by Sarastro and his mysterious cult. It also includes a number of entertaining scenes, often including Tamino's companion, Papageno.

One realizes the comic effect this character will have when he first comes onto the stage -- in his bird costume.

Senior Andrea Tavlan enjoyed the scene when Papageno played his magic bells to avoid capture, causing the men trying to take him and Pamina to dance and cartwheel around the stage singing "La la la."

"Any time you have manly men singing and dancing, it's funny!" she said. "I loved the 'Queen of the Night's' aria," Continuing Undergraduate Education student Lynn Peterson said.

The applause for Erika Mikl�sa, who played the Queen, lasted the longest of any. Junior Eric Kazmirek, who wanted to see the opera but stayed on campus to see Clinton speak, purchased the soundtrack and commented on the ability of the Queen to "play her voice like an instrument." That is exactly what Mikl�sa was able to do.

Overall, I believe this was a very remarkable performance. The voices of each of the performers were powerful enough to reach us in the top mezzanine, but controlled enough to also be quiet when the music called for it.

The sets pulled one into the mystery of the Freemasons Mozart referenced in his opera. As a first-time opera attendant, this rendition of Die Zauberfl�te interested me in returning to the Metropolitan Opera.

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