'Magic Arena': Cairo Review — hollywoodreporter.com

The Verona Arena, a massive outdoor Roman amphitheater built in the first century, is one of the most magical performance venues in the world. Andrea Prandstraller and Niccolo Bruna's documentary chronicles the creation of a recent production of Verdi's Aida, which was the first opera to be performed there upon its modern-day performance debut in 1913. Given its world premiere at the Cairo International Film Festival—all too appropriate since it was presented in an opera hall in the country that provides the opera's setting—Magic Arena is a compelling fly-on-the-wall, behind-the-scenes portrait that should prove catnip to opera lovers. The film is a natural for specialized distribution, and should find even bigger audiences in home video formats.

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