Portobello Pictures
Critics worldwide have raved about THE MAGIC FLUTE - IMPEMPE YOMLINGO!
UK Press
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"Thrillingly, heart-burstingly alive"
Ian Shuttleworth, Financial Times
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"True Mozartians will love this enchanting version by Isango Portobello… It has all the original’s essential qualities: soaring lyricism, a sense of celebration, generous moral urgency, playful joviality. From the off, it is touching, sexy and cheeky and leaves you with a rare sense of life-enhancing joy."
Sunday Times
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"The overture would surely have made Mozart laugh with delight… Exuberant and youthful… a smash hit. Pauline Malefane is a majestic presence as the Queen of the Night"
Sunday Telegraph
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"Truly enchanting for children and adults. Warm, collective, universally accessible, musical magic"
Time Out
"An explosion of joy from the townships of South Africa… noble and beautiful and tender and funny and touching and true… Exuberance invention and glorious ensemble singing… A sense of celebration and resilience, that seems to encapsulate the human spirit at its best. Pauline Malefane is a thrilling Queen of the Night"
Charles Spencer, Daily Telegraph
"Mozart would surely have loved it. Delightful!"
Patrick Marmion, Daily Mail
"Performed with infectious wit and visible joy… Mark Dornford-May’s vibrant, elating production"
Paul Taylor, Independent
"Mandasi Dyantyis has brilliantly rescored The Magic Flute… the singers are accompanied by eight marimbas which send a gurgle through the familiar music: it is as if the whole opera were floating on a stream of water. Sometimes it bounces, sometimes is jazzes… It is not only played: it is performed. This is music embodied and enacted… The spirit of Mozart is honoured while every decorous preconception is ditched. At the front of the auditorium five year-olds were gawping; at the back, 60-year-olds were doing the same."
Susannah Clapp, The Observer
"Mozart as you have never heard him before, but magic nevertheless… familiar melodies filtered through the distinctive heartfelt and soulful sound and beat of black South Africa. I defy you not to sway along in your seat. A joyous show."
Mail on Sunday
"When the classical arias and ethnic ululations fuse, it’s euphoric. Mozart would surely have loved the cheeky wit of turning his orchestra into eight marimbas and the magic flute into a silvery jazz trumpet"
Independent on Sunday
"A joyous, exuberant experience"
The Sun
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"Performed with unbridled passion and explosive joy. An object lesson in how to create authentic, vibrant theatre."
Whatsonstage.com
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"Packing enough energy to power a couple of national grids, and enough decibels to lift several roofs.Exhilarating and vibrant, exuberant entertainment."
Richard Morrison, The Times
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"Mark Dornford-May’s stunning adaptation. Listening to the overture played on marimbas is like hearing it with fresh ears."
Michael Billington, The Guardian
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"Pauline Malefane is exquisite as the soprano Queen Of The Night"
Metro
International Press
"Mozart would have been first surprised then delighted!"
Sir Simon Rattle, Conductor, The Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra
"It grips you from beginning to end...there's an honesty in the production that is heartwarming. Don't expect traditonal Opera. This is something unique and utterly enchanting."
Star Tonight, South Africa
"The cast, largely drawn from the townships around Cape Town, has no formal acting or singing training but interpret the timeless with streetwise energy. This is neither conventional or traditional opera but a new art form"
Business Day, South Africa
"Brilliantly visualised and performed"
The Citizen, South Africa
"A Mozart masterpiece!"
The Cape Argus, South Africa
"IMPEMPE YOMLINGO showcases an enormously talented cast making Mozart's opera exactly what one assumes he wanted it to be - accessible, with an enduring message for every person."
The Cape Times, South Africa
"The performance and powerful voices of the South African cast create an uplifting feeling that is full of energy."
The Japan Times