In 1951, the fledgling National Broadcasting Company (NBC), wanted to create holiday programming for television, so it commissioned Italian-born Gian-Carlo Menotti to compose a one-hour opera for children. ?Amahl and the Night Visitors? premiered on Christmas Eve in 1951 and for the next 16 years it was NBC?s holiday favorite of children and adults alike.
The Three Wise Kings? journey to Bethlehem is interrupted as they seek shelter for the night at the home of a crippled shepherd boy. When Amahl?s poverty-stricken mother attempts to steal some of the kings? gold, a battle royale ensues, and young Amahl?s life is changed forever. ?Amahl and the Night Visitors? is a story of redemption, true generosity and small miracles.Members of Arkansas Opera Theatre at Wildwood, under the artistic direction of founder Ann Chotard, present one performance of ?Amahl and the Night Visitors? at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 11 at Donald W. Reynolds Performance Hall. Tickets are $12 for children 12 years of age and under. Tickets range from $15 to $25 for adults, depending on the choice of seating in the theater. For information or tickets, call UCA Ticket Central toll free at 1-866-810-0012 between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., Monday through Friday. General Public and Senior Citizen tickets may be purchased online at www.uca.edu/reynolds.
The UCA performance of ?Amahl and the Night Visitors? is supported by the Arkansas Arts Council, an agency of the Department of Arkansas Heritage, and the National Endowment for the Arts.
