Arts & Entertainment
Review: 'Amahl and The Night Visitors' at WCSU
The opera department presented their annual tradition this past weekend.
The students of Western Connecticut State University Opera presented ‘Amahl & The Night Visitors’ by Gian Carlo Menotti this weekend at the Ives Concert Hall, a multi use auditorium on the midtown campus. This marked the sixteenth annual production of this opera that was originally commissioned by NBC to be broadcast on television. The opera is directed annually by Dr. Margaret Astrup,
‘Amahl’ has become a popular holiday tradition for the university and Greater Danbury communities, providing a special opportunity for hundreds of school children as well as family audiences to enjoy a performance by the WCSU Opera and share in the spirit of the season. The opera tells the story of an impoverished and crippled shepherd boy’s encounter with the Three Kings on their way to Bethlehem and the heart-warming outcome of their chance meeting.
Overall, this was the perfect introduction to opera for young patrons and the many students from area schools probably enjoyed it as such. Perhaps tradition dictates that the performances are presented in this older venue instead of the brand new spaces on the Westside campus, but it felt a bit tight during curtain call. I was asked to move from a seat in the front row (that was not marked with tape as the center orchestra was) because a lot of action happened in the space house right. It gave me chills when the chorus sang from the back of the auditorium as well as from a corner of the wrap-around balcony. I look forward to seeing this annual tradition in upcoming years but I plan to choose my performance and seat more carefully.
