November 1951.
Opera composer Gian Carlo Menotti has a problem: writer’s block with a splash of procrastination. Looming is a December 24th deadline.
That’s when the first made-for-television opera is scheduled for broadcast. His opera.
With the deadline alarm whooping in his head, a somewhat panicked and idea-less Menotti stalks the halls of the Metropolitan Museum of Art searching for inspiration. To his – and generations of audiences to come – good fortune, he finds it in Hieronymous Bosch’s painting “The Adoration of the Magi.”
And that’s how it came to be that on Christmas Eve 1951, “Amahl and the Night Visitors,” the debut production of Hallmark Hall of Fame, was beamed into homes – and a holiday tradition was born. This December, you can start – or continue – your own tradition when Boheme Opera NJ brings Menotti’s timeless work to life for three performances in central New Jersey.
“Amahl and the Night Visitors” is an uplifting, inspirational opera of two children joined by faith on the eve of the Nativity.
A poor mother and her disabled son, Amahl, who has a penchant for tall tales, open their humble home to the Three Kings on their westward, star-guided quest. What begins as a respite on the road to Bethlehem becomes a journey of learning, love and healing.
Boheme Opera NJ Artistic Director Joseph Pucciatti conducts the Boheme Opera NJ Orchestra and directs a stellar cast and chorus.
You and your family can see “Amahl and the Night Visitors” Sunday, December 3rd at Mary, Mother of the Church Parish in Bordentown; Sunday, December 10th at the Church of St. Gregory the Great in Hamilton Square; and Saturday, December 16th at Saint David the King Church in Princeton Junction.
All performances at 6:00pm. Tickets are $30 for adults – children 12 and under are free (tickets will be required for seating purposes).
Visit https://www.bohemeopera.org/amahl-and-the-night-visitors for more information and tickets.
PHOTO CAP: Sofia Stanev Potts and Courtney Neiman share the title role in Boheme Opera NJ’s December performances of Amahl and the Night Visitors.