Fri 12/16 @ 7PM
Sat 12/17 @ 3PM & 7PM
Sun 12/18 @ 3PM
While it’s not as ubiquitous as The Nutcracker or A Christmas Carol, another staple of the holiday season — is Italian-American composer Gian Carlo Menotti’s one-act opera Amahl and the Night Visitors. It debuted in 1951 and was a reliable TV Christmas offering back in the 1950s, watched by the whole family when viewing options were fewer. Menotti lived to be 95 (he died in 2007) and wrote more than two dozen operas, but this is just about the only thing he’s remembered for today.
The story revolves around a lame young boy, Amahl, who walks with a crutch. In the middle of the night, the Three Kings, on their way to see the Baby Jesus, stop at the humble home he shares with his mother, looking for a place to rest. On hearing about their mission, Amahl want to give a gift to the child but he and his mother live in poverty, so he offers his crutch. The operetta has lots of charming and accessible music and it’s in English. That, along with its appealing story and short length, make it a popular piece to introduce children to opera.
Each year, Cleveland Opera Theater partners with the City Mission to present the work, which they’ve done at various locations, including online in 2020. This year they’re bringing it to Playhouse Square’s Helen Theatre for four performances. Admission is a $10 (or more) donation, all of which goes to the City Mission’s Laura’s Home Women’s Crisis Center.
clevelandoperatheater.org/amahl