‘So moving and so charming and so lovely’: Lyric Opera presents a Christmas classic

The coronavirus pandemic forced the Lyric Opera of Kansas City to cancel its live performances of the Christmas classic “Amahl and the Night Visitors” and present a filmed version instead.

You could say the opera is returning to its roots.

“Amahl” debuted in 1951 not in an opera house but as a television special, the very first Hallmark Hall of Fame, presented on Christmas Eve on NBC.

It has become an enduring holiday favorite.

You’ll be able to stream the Lyric’s new version of this touching story from Dec. 15 to Jan. 31.

It’s hard to believe that at one time NBC had its own symphony orchestra and actually commissioned operas. But in 1951, the network asked Gian Carlo Menotti, an up-and-coming composer, to write an opera for Christmas, the first opera specifically composed for television.

Menotti said he was inspired by two sources: his childhood in Italy, where the three kings, instead of Santa, would deliver presents, and the painting “Adoration of the Magi” by Hieronymus Bosch. His work was so popular, NBC presented it every year until 1966.

There have been a smattering of television productions since, with many performances by regional opera companies. This will be the Lyric Opera’s first production of “Amahl” in decades, this time with the singers offstage and puppets front and center.

The Lyric was planning to perform it before a smaller audience at the Michael & Ginger Frost Production Arts Building in the Crossroads. Then the pandemic surged, and Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas issued his order limiting indoor gatherings to no more than 10 people.

“We were sold out in about 48 hours and added performances,” said Deborah Sandler, the Lyric’s general director and CEO. “It broke my heart, but I knew it was the right thing to do, to cancel the live performances. Even though we would have been socially distanced and would have taken care of people, we can’t control all the variables. We don’t know where people who come in have been before.”

The Lyric had already been working on “Amahl” for months. Paul Mesner had designed the puppets, and the production, by all reports, was magical. So the company decided to take the plunge and invest in a production team to film the opera and make it available for home viewing.

“We’re hearkening back to its origins,” Sandler said. “We have seven cameras. The director for the production, Shawna Lucey, has been working with the producer who’s doing the filming. We’ve filmed it multiple times, so there will be a robust editing effort, just the way you would edit a film.”

Sandler says that it’s been hard to sit in the room with the videographers, the light board operators and the sound people and not tear up.

“It is so moving and so charming and so lovely,” she said. “The space is used exquisitely. Steven Kemp, our designer, did a really beautiful job in creating a set that covers the whole back wall and surrounds the space. And then there are the puppets. It’s heartwarming and everything people need to see now.”

Of course, what ultimately makes “Amahl” such an emotional experience is the story itself, a tale of a boy who must walk with crutches, his impoverished mother and three kings on their way to Bethlehem.

“There’s so much heart in this story,” Sandler said. “We’re in love with this child, Amahl, who has the most beautiful music and is sung so well by one of our young singers. And there’s the caricatures and humor of the three kings.

“At one moment, Amahl asks one of the kings who is hard of hearing, ‘Do you have anything in your belongings that could help a crippled child?’ The king says, ‘Eh?’ and Amahl says, ‘Never mind.’”

Soprano Holly Ladage sings the role of Amahl. Other offstage voices include Michael Wu as King Kaspar, Scott Conner as King Balthazar and Danny Belcher as King Melchior. Belcher, a Grammy-winning baritone, recently founded the excellent Artist Diploma program at William Jewell College.

Sandler says that the digital access ticket will include a comprehensive educational guide.

“It’s beautiful and will be a wonderful introduction to the opera and to opera in general,” she said. “You can learn about the visual inspiration of the opera, and there are tips on how to make puppets.”

At the end of a year of trauma and heartbreak, the story of a poor, disabled child and his long-suffering mother who never give up hope is sure to strike a chord.

“There has been so much heart put into this production,” Sandler said. “It’s so beautiful to look at and the story is full of love and generosity. And then there’s the miracle at the end. We need that.”

Available to view Dec. 15 through Jan. 31. $40. kcopera.org.

William Baker Festival Singers

While the Lyric Opera and other arts organizations have replaced their live, in-person Christmas concerts with virtual programming in response to Kansas City’s recent COVID-19 restrictions, William Baker has taken a different tack. He’s moving his annual holiday concerts to another county.

In the past, the William Baker Festival Singers’ Candlelight, Carols and Cathedral concerts have been presented in Kansas City’s downtown cathedrals. This year, Baker will hold them at Holy Angels Catholic Church in Basehor, in Leavenworth County. While not technically a “cathedral,” Holy Angels will provide a suitably majestic venue for Baker’s program of traditional Christmas hymns illuminated entirely by candles.

Unlike any of the surrounding counties, Leavenworth County does not have a mask mandate or limit indoor gatherings. The William Baker Festival Singers will be masked, however, and the audience will be required to wear masks as well. Social distancing will also be enforced.

8 p.m. Dec. 18 and 2 p.m. Dec. 20. Holy Angels Catholic Church, 15440 Leavenworth Road, Basehor. The concert will be livestreamed at facebook.com/williambakerfestivalsingerskc. Free. For more information, festivalsingers.org.

Friends of Chamber Music cancellation

The Friends of Chamber Music was supposed to be celebrating its 45th anniversary. Sadly, the prestigious chamber music series has recently announced that it will cancel the remainder of its 2020-2021 season.

The group will not be idle, however. The series is developing “Chamber Music Now,” a free streaming service featuring recitals, educational presentations and more. The group hopes to roll that out soon, and is hopeful it will be able to resume live, in-person concerts in December 2021. Let’s keep our fingers crossed.

For more information, chambermusic.org.

You can reach Patrick Neas at patrickneas@kcartsbeat.com and follow his Facebook page, KC Arts Beat, at www.facebook.com/kcartsbeat.