Amahl and the Night Visitors
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Composer : Gian Carlo Menotti Conductor : James R. Allbritten Director : Steven LaCosse |
Cast: King Melchior - Robert Overman King Kaspar - Jonathan Sidden King Balthazar - John Williams |
Somewhere in the world lives a crippled little shepherd called Amahl, with his mother, an impoverished widow. Nothing is left to them of the little they ever had, and they are now faced with hunger and cold in their empty house.
Three Wise Men, on their way to Bethlehem, stop at the hut and ask to be taken in for the night. Amahl and his mother welcome them and their Page as well as they can, and are much astonished at the splendor of their robes and the wealth of gifts they are carrying with them. When Amahl's mother realizes that the Three Kings are looking for a newborn babe and that the expensive gifts are all destined for him, she becomes bitter and envious. She cannot understand why at least some of these gifts could not be given to her own child, who is so poor and sickly.
Under cover of darkness, while the Three Kings are asleep, she steals some of the gold from them - and is caught red-handed. When she explains to the Three Kings that she needs the gold to feed her starving child, she is readily forgiven. With great tenderness they try to explain to her who this newborn child is and how much he needs the love of every human being to build his coming kingdom. Touched by their words, the poor widow not only gives back the stolen gold, but wishes she could add a gift of her own. Little Amahl comes to her rescue. He impulsively hands the Three Kings his wooden crutch, his most precious possession, and in so doing he is miraculously cured of his lameness.
As dawn appears in the sky, the Three Kings prepare to resume their journey. Amahl begs his mother to let him join them, and he is finally allowed to follow the Kings to Bethlehem to adore and give thanks to the Christ Child.
This production is sung in English at First Presbyterian Church in Winston-Salem (300 N. Cherry St).
Quote: "Menotti’s Christmas opera tells the story of a crippled shepherd boy, his destitute mother and their encounter with three star-guided kings."
Scheduled Times:
- December 5, 2008 – 7:30 PM
- December 6, 2008 – 2:00 PM and 7:30 PM