Plush Life:
True Tales From the Magic Zoo

Edited and introduced by Lynn Meinhardt

photo by Larry Merkle, San Francisco Opera

(click on any photo for a larger image)

A dilapidated old dragon glowers from his plywood supports while Supers crawl around like animals. The dragon watches, and it remembers what experienced actors have forgotten: It is not Tamino who goes through horrible trials during the Magic Flute; it is the Supers who suffer unspeakable tests while they crawl around in those cute animal costumes from hell.     

~ Mike Harvey

Theatrical producer Emanuel Schikaneder commissioned from Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart the score of Die Zauberflöte (The Magic Flute) for his Theater-auf-der-Wieden. The fantasy premiered in 1791 and was one of a series of “magic” operas that were the specialty of Schikaneder’s company. It is clear that its birth was similar to that of the modern musical: many hands contributed to its form and, perhaps in spite of this, the result is a wonderful juxtaposition of dissimilar elements. Fortunately for Supers, the fantastic prevails, and the appearance of peculiar creatures in Act I is indispensable and provides several roles for those who love to suffer for their art.

David Hockney’s 1978 production was designed for the small stage of the Glyndebourne Festival Opera and stayed true to Schikaneder’s wish to present a spirited and amusing opera that would please a large audience. He painted a series of flats in extreme forced perspective that could be swapped quickly to create a fast-paced journey of physical and spiritual transformation.

Hockney and the director, John Cox, sometimes disagreed on what should appear onstage. Nevertheless, they created a lyrical, magic world fused from exotic forms from all historical periods. For example, the dragon that threatens Tamino at the top of Act One was inspired by the slavering beast in the fifteenth-century "St. George and the Dragon," by Paolo Uccello, which hangs in the National Gallery, London. The beasts of the forest who are charmed by Tamino’s magic flute were drawn from medieval renderings of fantastic animals housed in the British Museum’s rare book room.

As adorable as they are, Hockney’s attractive creatures test the resiliance of our Super talent. Super Priscilla Lore remembers her first experience with the production. “During the 2001-02 season, the then Super captain Albert Goodwyn asked me to attend Magic Flute animal auditions, thinking I would be suitable for the Griffin cover. By the time I arrived at Zellerbach A, the only three people who auditioned for the part had already left after trying on the costume. . . . I got the part because I was the only person who could stand to wear the costume.” Other Magic Supers give credence to the joke that Supers are only “moving furniture.” Mike Harvey claims that being inside of the giraffe is like being zipped into a sofa; Lisa Gelling states that when she is inside the hedgehog costume she feels as if she has a papasan chair frame strapped onto her back.

Sore backs, bruises, and fainting spells aside, there is an obsession that conquers claustrophobic encasement in fur, foam, and feathers: the love of music. Jaye Hepburn describes her joy when the Queen of the Night sings: "My heart stops. I had no idea that it was possible to experience a life-threatening physical reaction to song." Obviously, San Francisco Opera Supers will do almost anything to immerse themselves in the beauty and fabulous absurdity of opera. But don't take my word for it. Read the straight poop and view the harrowing action harvested from the Magic Zoo, where the animals speak for themselves. . .

The Sound
and the Furry

Read the tales straight from the beasts' mouths:

Mike Harvey
Giraffe/Dragon

Priscilla Lore
Griffin

Yvette Rosedale
Griffin Cover

Jaye Hepburn
Salamander

Carolyn Waugh
Hedgehog

Lisa Gelling
Other Cover

Jeremy Joseph
Bear

Die Zauberflöte
(The Magic Flute)

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Conductor: Oleg Caetani, Donald Runnicles

Stage Director: John Cox

Set and Costume Designer: David Hockney

Lighting Designer: Thomas J. Munn

Sound Designer: Roger Gans
Chorus Director: Ian Robertson

Supernumeraries: Matthew Costello, Lisa Gelling, Michael Harvey, Jaye Hepburn, Jeremy Joseph, Andrew Korniej, Charlie Lichtman, Priscilla Lore, Robert C. Palma, Andrew Poe, Raymond Sullivan, Carolyn Waugh

We thank the San Francisco Opera for special permission to take photographs during rehearsal in August 2003. We also appreciate the patience of the artists and staff, who tolerated the intrusion with grace and good humor.

Photographs by Lynn Meinhardt and by Mike Harvey and Larry Merckle where noted.