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CU Boulder鈥檚 season continues this spring with Mozart鈥檚 The Magic Flute,听one of the most beloved and widely performed operas in the world. The family-friendly hit comes to Macky Auditorium with an all-student cast March 17 through 19.

Since its 1791 premiere, Mozart鈥檚 timeless tale has inspired children and adults alike all across the globe. Like a fantasy-adventure film come to life, The Magic Flute听blends together whimsical humor and irresistible melodies to tell the gripping story of a prince who must outwit an evil queen to be united with his true love.

Music Director Nicholas Carthy is quick to point out that, like many kids鈥� movies, this opera isn鈥檛 just intended for kids.听

鈥淭hat's the great thing about children's tales, isn't it?鈥� he says. 鈥淭hey have one meaning for children and another for adults. The Grimm Fairy Tales are a great example.鈥�

Audiences of any age will recognize the stratospherically high "Queen of the Night" aria, an impressive exercise in vocal acrobatics. They might also have heard the playful duet between the clumsy birdwatcher Papageno and his fated match听Papagena. But despite its few famous passages, Carthy says choosing a best-loved aria from The Magic Flute would be unfair to the rest of the opera. Like Tchaikovsky鈥檚 The Nutcracker听ballet, it鈥檚 a nonstop hit parade of catchy classical melodies.听

鈥淭he thing bounces from highlight to highlight,鈥� says Carthy. 鈥淚 couldn鈥檛 pick a favorite bit. It has everything, from the lightest of folk melodies to Bach-like seriousness.鈥�

But don鈥檛 mistake seriousness for inaccessibility, Carthy warns. What makes The Magic Flute such a perfect opera for first-timers is its classic boy-meets-girl plot. The hero, Tamino, sees a picture of a princess named Pamina and falls instantly in love; then, when he finds out she鈥檚 being held hostage by the evil queen, he embarks on an epic quest to save her with his quirky pal Papageno.听

鈥淚t鈥檚 true鈥攋ust like in Star Wars听补苍诲 Shrek, there鈥檚 a silly sidekick who talks too much,鈥� Carthy says. 鈥淭hese are plots we鈥檝e known since things were written down.鈥�

Hiding beneath the plot we all know so well are odd but clever references the discerning viewer might spot with careful observation. Throughout The Magic Flute,听Mozart makes countless allusions to ancient Egyptian gods and to the Masonic order, which played an important role in the composer鈥檚 life. The Freemasons鈥� Enlightenment-era ideals of equality and rationalism appealed to him, and he fiercely defended their right to assemble even as the organization faced scrutiny from the Roman Catholic Church.听

鈥淏eneath the surface, this piece is a plea to the powers that be not to ban masonry,鈥� Carthy says. 鈥淗e wanted to demonstrate that Enlightenment men like himself do not just look after our own but also after women, like Pamina, and those who aren鈥檛 like us, like Papageno.鈥�

The opera is so rich with detail, so filled with life, that it鈥檚 hard to absorb in just one viewing鈥攎uch like a painting by van Eyck or Vermeer. But whether you鈥檙e a first-timer or you鈥檝e seen The Magic Flute听countless times, you鈥檙e guaranteed to enjoy the performance.听

鈥淚t's a very human opera, and it speaks to the power of love and the power of duty,鈥� Carthy says, 鈥渁nd that鈥檚 what makes it an enduring classic for people of all ages.鈥�

For more information and to purchase tickets, or call the box office at 303-492-8008.