At the start of Minnesota Opera’s “The Magic Flute,” my friend leaned over to whisper in my ear: “I didn’t expect Mozart to be so psychedelic!” And trippy it is – this production, created by director Barrie Kosky and British theater group 1927, mines the richness of Mozart’s eccentric work by marrying live performance with clever vaudeville theatrical tropes and stunning animated visual effects.

“The Magic Flute,” 2014. (c) Robert Millard For LA Opera

The opera is one of Mozart’s last, written in 1791 not long before his death. The story’s a rescue tale, a hero’s journey circuitously told. Embedded within it is a mélange of Romantic philosophical ideals and mystic symbolism, a mischievous narrative sensibility and some of the most sublime melodies ever put to song.

Minnesota Opera (a Knight Arts grantee) sets the famous comic opera-cum-vision quest against a backdrop of beautifully drawn animations projected against the large white screen that dominates the stage. A number of swinging trap doors with perches for the actors are strategically placed across the screen itself, so the cast may interact with the fanciful landscapes and animated characters projected all around them – nude pixies and giant spider queens, ravening dogs and ghoulish minions, dark sages and dragons; a high-kicking chorus line of magic bells. Typically spoken elements of the singspiel score are projected as silent film-style dialogue intertitles onscreen.

“The Magic Flute,” 2014. (c) Robert Millard For LA Opera

The imagery of the animation feels at once retro and fresh – like the early “cinemagic” of Georges Méliès by way of Terry Gilliam’s Monty Python animations, or Heinz Edelmann’s surreal cityscapes for Yellow Submarine. The theatrical flourishes, physical comedy and costume design are pure 1920s cabaret. But the ironic wink behind the show’s jazz hands? That’s thoroughly contemporary.

“The Magic Flute,” 2014. (c) Robert Millard For LA Opera

There are two casts for the Minnesota Opera iteration of the production, taking the principal parts in rotation through the show’s run. It’s no small praise to note the musicians ably hold their own with the extravagant visual effects of the show. This multimedia “Magic Flute” is quite simply a marvel: a feat of collaborative pacing and impeccable timing combined with expert musicianship – a wonderful opportunity to see and hear deeply familiar work as if for the first time.

“The Magic Flute,” 2014. (c) Robert Millard For LA Opera

What’s more, it’s also almost sure to sell out. I’ve read nothing but raves for this production. If you’ve not gotten tickets yet, don’t dally. And if you’ve kids, or other opera-reluctants in your life, take them with you – I can’t imagine a more enchanting  introduction to still-abundant creative promise in classical opera than this.

Minnesota Opera’s “The Magic Flute,” a production of the Komische Oper Berlin in partnership with LA Opera, runs from April 12 through 27 at the Ordway Center for Performing Arts, 345 Washington St., St. Paul. For more information about tickets or specific showtimes, visit the Minnesota Opera website.