The holiday opera “Amahl and the Night Visitors” will be performed at 7 p.m. today (Dec. 5) at Annunciation Catholic Church, Columbus. The performance is free and open to the public.
Early arrival is encouraged and doors open at 6:30 p.m.
The opera is being performed by the Golden Triangle Theatre, under the direction of Garrett Torbert, the group’s creative and executive director.
During a break in a dress rehearsal on Thursday, he said the opera was performed in year’s past at another Columbus church. For 19 years, Annunciation Catholic Church has hosted Columbus Choral Society’s annual performance of Handel’s “Messiah,” but due to the pandemic, this year’s performance was canceled.
Torbert said he decided to put together Golden Triangle Theatre’s shows in an effort to help maintain the Christmas performance arts tradition in the Golden Triangle. He is an instructor of voice at Mississippi State and pianist/organist at Annunciation Catholic Church.
The opera tells the story of Amahl (portrayed by Isaac Zarandona), a young boy with a big imagination and a bigger heart and his mother (Payton Tanner) who desperate to provide for her son. During the night, the three Kings — Melchior (Trevor Blood), Balthazar (Benjamin Somervell) and Kaspar (William Tiffin) — stop at Amahl’s home during their journey to bring gifts to the Christ child.
About 30-40 people worked to get the production of Amahl ready for its two performances. The first free performance was held Friday.
“Amahl and the Night Visitors” was commissioned by NBC and first performed by the NBC Opera Theatre on Dec. 24, 1951, in New York City at NBC studio 8H in Rockefeller Center, where it was broadcast live on television as the debut production of the Hallmark Hall of Fame. It was the first opera specifically composed for television in America.
According to the Golden Triangle Theatre’s program Menotti had trouble settling on a subject for the opera, but took inspiration from Hieronymus Bosch’s painting on wood panel, “The Adoration of the Magi,” hanging in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.
Menotti wanted Amahl to be performed by a boy. In the production notes contained in the piano-vocal score, he wrote: “It is the express wish of the composer that the role of Amahl should always be performed by a boy. Neither the musical nor the dramatic concept of the opera permits the substitution of a woman costumed as a child.”
Torbert founded Golden Triangle Theatre in 2021 to help create and cultivate a passion for theater and the performing arts in Columbus. Its mission is stated on the website as: “We strive to extend our hand to the youth in the communities of the Golden Triangle and to offer educational opportunities that cultivate a passion for performance. Through this, individuals are able to explore their creativity and collaborate with others all while gaining confidence necessary for success.”
For information about Golden Triangle Theatre, including upcoming programs and auditions, visit the website, goldentriangletheatre.com.
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