Tue Feb 09 2010
It is a somewhat familiar tale – half Nativity story, half Christmas Carol, with operatic tunes thrown in for good measure.
The Kentucky State University Opera Music Theatre Workshop will perform Gian-Carlo Menotti’s Amahl and the Night Visitors Thursday, Nov. 19 through Saturday, Nov. 21, in Bradford Hall’s Little Theater. Performance times will be 7:30 p.m. Thursday and Saturday and at 10:30 a.m. Friday. Admission is $8 for adults and $5 for non-KSU students. All KSU students are admitted free with their student ID.
The one-act opera is basically the story of the three wise men on their journey to see Jesus. Along the way, the three kings meet Amahl, a disabled shepherd boy, and his mother. Of course they are bearing gold, frankincense and myrrh, which look pretty good to the impoverished mother.
The kings stay overnight at Amahl’s home, which gives him an opportunity to learn more about their lives. It also gives his mother the chance to steal some of the king’s gold to help her son. She is caught, but the king lets her keep the gold, saying Jesus only needs love to rule his kingdom.
In the spirit of giving, Amahl offers his only belonging as a gift for the Christ child and is rewarded well.
God bless us every one.
“It really is about the spirit of Christmas, the spirit of giving and for a moment forgetting all of your personal tragedies and giving thought to the birth of Christ,” said Andrew W. Smith, director of the Opera/Music Theatre Workshop.
KSU has previously performed the opera, and it was well received, Smith said. It is in English, it is a well-known story – which makes it easy to follow, and it has bright costumes, funny dialogue and beautiful singing.
Originally for television
The opera was originally written for television and began running as a Hallmark Hall of Fame installment on Dec. 24, 1951. Since then, NBC played the show throughout the Christmas season.
“It is a good intro opera because it is light,” said Arielle Crosby, who plays Amahl. “It is not typical. There are not arias all over the place. It is more recitative (like spoken word) and more like a musical.”
Amir Hall, who plays King Balthazar, advised patrons to pay close attention to the dialogue, particularly King Kaspar, since he is the one who is most humorous.
“It is really a cute story,” Hall said. “You have to listen carefully to catch all of the little things in the plot that make it all come together.”
As he has for the last 10 years, Smith hired Byron Dean Ryan as his guest conductor and pianist to help all of his principals and chorus learn their parts. For a month, Ryan works individually with the students hammering out their diction, style and timing.
“It is a tremendous education for these students,” Smith said. “It requires a lot of work, but it is the greatest outlet these students have if they want to pursue musical theater.”
The Opera Music Theatre Workshop began in the late 1970s to give students an opportunity to receive professional training in musical theatre as well as to interact with accomplished guest artists. The students in the workshop stage two productions a year – one in the fall and one in the spring.
As a result of their work in the Opera Music Theatre Workshop, many KSU students have gone on to receive contracts with national and international touring companies as well as scholarships and assistantships to further their education and training at the graduate level.
Brandon Lockhart, a senior from Louisville, also said the Opera Music Theatre Workshop helps broaden people’s horizons in the Frankfort community.
“It gives people a different perspective musically and culturally,” said Lockhart, who is playing King Malchior. “They get to witness the art of music as a living art since we create it as we perform.”
Smith would eventually like to stage the entire “Marriage of Figaro” with a full orchestra, but said he is applying for a grant to accomplish that. He said that would be an excellent addition to the Frankfort community, especially if done correctly.
For now, he is grateful to the Franklin County Trust for Historic Preservation that donated $3,000 to the production of Amahl and the Night Visitors. The Franklin County Trust always supports KSU opera, and Smith said he would not be able to do a show without the trust’s help.
Molly Williamson is a communication/publications specialist at Kentucky State University.
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