With Hawaii Opera Theatre’s fall production of "The Magic Flute" now a gorgeous memory, HOT’s Opera Express team is preparing its condensed version of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s final opera for a one-night public performance Wednesday at the Hawaii Theatre.

Mozart’s story is quite an epic. A handsome prince named Tamino, lost and alone, is attacked by a dragon and begs the gods to save him. Tamino passes out, and three ladies, the attendants of the Queen of the Night, come to his aid and kill the dragon. The three ladies leave before Tamino regains consciousness.

When Tamino awakens he sees a man named Papa- geno, a timid soul who is in fact the Queen’s bird-catcher, and assumes that Papageno killed the dragon. Papageno happily accepts Tamino’s gratitude for the heroic deed.

The ladies return, expose Papageno’s lies and give Tamino a portrait of the Queen of the Night’s daughter, Pamina. Tamino instantly falls in love. The ladies tell Tamino that Pamina is the prisoner of an evil sorcerer who is holding her with lecherous intent. The Queen of the Night joins them and promises Tamino that Pamina will be his bride if he rescues her.

Tamino sets off to rescue Pamina with Papageno as his reluctant sidekick. He soon learns that things may not be as he was told they were.

Aside from the fact that the score of "The Magic Flute" contains one of the most demanding vocal pieces in opera, how do you condense a full-length opera with a full cast to a 40-minute, one-act show performed by a cast of three?

Erik Haines, HOT director of education, says it can be done in ways that make opera accessible and enjoyable for young audiences.

"We look at three things — maybe four things — when cutting an opera down for presentation in schools," Haines explained via email. "What is the main story or message, what is the best music in the show and how can we involve some kids on stage in the show and have a moment or two of music that the audience (can) sing along with and be part of the show? We also need to keep in mind that the show must fit into a span of time comfortable for schools and the attention span of younger students."

Audience participation is key to these goals. The audience serves as the chorus in one number, while individual audience members play the dragon and stand in as priests and guards.

Haines’ version of the story is told through the eyes of Papageno — a compelling character to children, he said. The bird-catcher is looking back at his big adventure with Tamino from some point in the future.

In condensing the plot, the three ladies are absorbed into the role of the Queen of the Night.

"Our characters are often caricatures of the characters. Papageno is probably the truest character to any of those in the opera," he said.

Haines said the story contains timeless themes, making it relatable to the younger generation.

"All is not what it may seem to be. Good triumphs over evil. Discovering the truth sometimes takes effort. And, hopefully, that opera can be fun and this guy who lived 200-plus years ago wrote some pretty great music that is still relevant today."

A free 36-page study guide with an overview of the story, opera-related games for children and background information is available at hawaiitheatre.com.