Short and sweet! That’s what each half of Golden Apple’s holiday celebration is, and the whole adds up to entertainment that audiences of all ages can enjoy – and with more weekend matinees and earlier evening shows than usual.
Amahl and the Night Visitors distills the spirit and meaning of the holiday. Three rich kings visit a poor lame boy and his single mother one night. These people and their hovel of a home are much like what the kings are seeking, without realizing it.
Amahl, with such imagination that his mother isn’t sure what to believe when he tells of the royals who want to rest there, has limited mobility and no way to improve. All means of earning a living had to be sold.
The royals glory in their wealth and the gifts they will bring to God’s promised child. No wonder Amahl’s mother is tempted to take but a token that might help her to help her son. When the kings’ page catches her, things look dark. Shepherds and townspeople have offered the kings the fruits of their labor, as simple but appealing as their song. But none, not the mother who took a great risk out of love, not even the royals themselves, come up with the gift Amahl offers and asks them to bring to the baby. It’s matched only by the music with which Gian-Carlo Menotti conveys Amahl’s story.
Adding to the glory of the live music is the powerful soprano and dramatic talent of Dianne Dawson. The mutual love she and winsome Stevie Romero, as Mother and Amahl, display is palpable throughout sorrow and joy.
The kings are each individuals in their own right, whether stuffy (Leander Douglas), comically hard of hearing (Ben Turoff), or ready when needed to take a lead (Michael Bajjaly). Crowds from field and town look believable, thanks to director Sharon Ferguson, and work well together whether onstage or parading through the house.
This last applies equally after the Opera to the many Guests at “Sharon’s Holiday Party” who sing and dance (and how that Eric Gregory glides!) a large parcel of favorite holiday tunes. Think “We Need a Little Christmas” at “The Most Wonderful Time of the Year” to “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” while “Walking in a Winter Wonderland” -- performed in front of changing illustrative projections.
Down front, Host Sharon Orenstein cheerily solos at times when she’s not back swaying with her group, local favorites. But she cedes the spot to young ‘uns (Stevie Romero, Elly and Nathan Turoff) who want two front teeth for Christmas or saw Mom kiss Santa. Director Bob Trisolini also bridges party scenes with “12 Days of Christmas” shopping, resulting in piled-up gifts of tunes.
Finally, Santa Claus shows himself already come to town for the party at the Golden Apple. A sing-along with him can be part of enjoying old holiday memories and acquiring new ones at the Golden Apple.
