Is there anything Isaac Mizrahi can’t do? His list of titles goes on and on: world-renowned fashion designer, TV star, author, classically trained pianist… In 2010, he made his operatic directorial debut, overseeing A Little Night Music with Opera Theatre of Saint Louis (Loretto-Hilton Center for the Performing Arts, Webster University, 130 Edgar, 314-961-0644, opera-stl.org). Now, he’s returning to St. Louis for Opera Theatre’s The Magic Flute, debuting May 24. To retell Mozart’s beautiful fantasy, Mizrahi is not only directing the performance, but also designing the sets and costumes. It’s a production two years in the making, one whose success he takes very personally. “It’s a bigger gamble,” he says, “but it’s also a bigger reward.”
Why The Magic Flute?
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Well, it was something [Opera Theatre] wanted, and it was something I’ve always wanted to do. Since I was a kid, it’s been—I think—my favorite opera of all time. It’s the first opera I ever saw, and I’ve been thinking about it ever since… It’s the most beautiful music ever written. It is such a great, fantastical story. We actually rewrote the scenes of the opera, the whole libretto. With the songs, we stayed close to the Andrew Porter translation, but we changed it a bit, because I thought it needed that kind of modernization. I feel like the music needs to be as light, beautiful, and shimmering as possible.
What was your inspiration?
The first thing I thought of was that it’s such a fantasy. To me, [the characters] are American, and the fantasy takes shape on a Hollywood soundstage, haunted by the Queen of the Night… She is kind of reliving this nightmare over and over, and she is this old, dead ghost of a silent movie star. But I don’t want to give much more away.
Do you prefer directing, production design, or costume design—or is it the perfect trifecta?
Yes, that’s exactly right. I don’t think you can separate one thing out at this point… [With] The Magic Flute, there’s something about it that really begs a holistic kind of approach… For me, in St. Louis, with this opera and this conductor, it’s a better, more economical way to approach it.
You’ve spent quite a bit of time here.
I love St. Louis. It was the first place I ever traveled, when I was 11 years old. I had won this poster-design contest, and the prize was a trip to collect [the award] in St. Louis. So it’s the first memory I have of getting on a plane and going somewhere. But more than that, it feels like an edgy, fun place that’s truly thriving… It has a kind of authenticity, wonderful restaurants, theater, barbecue places, and that fabulous ice cream—that concrete ice cream! And it does have a lot of young, hip people. I think it’s a great place.
