Mozart’s The Magic Flute presents opera companies with a quandary in the 21st century. It has a plot which is mystifying, characters who are less than sympathetic and overtones of both misogyny and racism but at the same time it has traditionally been a huge favourite with audiences. This is, without a doubt, in part due to Mozart’s wonderful music, but it does leave producers with the question of how to stage the work for a modern audience?

The all-female director and set design team behind this new production by Welsh National Opera have come at this problem head on and made some bold decisions. Characters are changed, storylines re-aligned, it is sung in a new English translation and it is trimmed.

The result is an opera which is accessible to all. While the story is still somewhat complex, the main plot arc is easy to follow, the characters are clearly delineated, the tale feels more relevant and it looks amazing.

Director Daisy Evans has given us a balanced production in which the strange high priest Sarastro is now the father to Pamina which makes the battle between him and Queen of the Night, Pamina’s mother, both more comprehensible and more personal. So too we understand that Pamina and Tamino were childhood friends which makes Tamino’s willingness to put himself at risk to rescue Pamina much more logical.

In some ways these are slight plot changes but in others they shift the motivations for the characters substantially and also bring more equilibrium to the male/female relationships in the story.

It doesn’t all work. A mimed prologue attempting to set out these changes is more mystifying than clarifying - and also unnecessary as the various characters explain the story as they go along anyway.

Loren Elstein’s sets and Jake Wiltshire’s lighting are more Mad Max than 18th century theatre – with strong colours, neon light sabres and flamboyant costumes, it is a feast for the eyes. By using revolving staircases and lighting to take us from Day to Night, the set changes are also rapid, ensuring a strong pace throughout.

Samantha Hay is wonderful as Queen of the Night. She is imperious with Sarastro and with her daughter so that her relationship to Pamina is ambiguous. How much of this parental concern is love and how much is power? The star moment of the opera in which she sings a stunning Queen of the Night Aria sees her surrounded by flashing lights, much like the diva this role demands.

Raven McMillon’s Pamina is a force to be reckoned with. This is no maiden waiting to be saved, she stands up to Sarastro, confronts her mother and stands beside Tamino to undertake the trials. Trystan Llŷr Griffiths gives us a humorous Tamino, initially unsure of his task but gradually becoming stronger and facing his destiny.

And Quirijn de Lang’s Papageno is in some ways a star of the show as he brings the laughs. Dressed somewhat like an eco-warrior, he questions the trials, he refuses to obey the rules and he creates his own mini world of gentle anarchy.

Evans’ translation into English is great fun, bringing the show right up to date with common language and a good deal of humour. We learn that Papageno catches birds for a ‘bob’ but it’s a great job and when he first meets Tamino he refers to the prince as a ‘posh git’.

Conducted by Frederick Brown, the orchestra bring clarity and beauty to Mozart’s great score, reminding us of why this opera has remained so popular.

This is a bold take on The Magic Flute and won’t sit easily with everyone but this new production brings new light to a classic and reminds us that opera is an art form which can tell stories for all.

Four stars

Reviewed by Diane Parkes at Birmingham Hippodrome on Thursday 4 May. Welsh National Opera's The Magic Flute also shows at the venue on Friday 5 May.