The lovely Christmas opera, Amahl and the Night Visitors, will be presented at Franklin Opera House on Friday, December 21, with a curtain time of 7:30 pm.

Amahl and the Night Visitors was the first opera written specifically for television. Written by Gian Carlo Menotti, it was first presented on NBC’s Hallmark Hall of Fame on Christmas Eve, 1951, and was, for several years, a staple of the holidays.

Under the direction of noted director Jane Cormier, this production by Just Love to Sing tells the story of a young, disabled boy, Amahl, who is visited by the Magi on their way to visit the newborn Christ child.

Amahl and his mother are poor and are impressed by the Magi and their story of their visit to the Child. Later, in an attempt to help her son, the mother is caught stealing gold from the Magi, but when the Magi understand the desperate circumstances of the mother and Amahl, she is forgiven. Amahl then pledges the only thing he owns, his crutch, and upon making this pledge is miraculously healed.  He then leaves with the Magi to visit the Child himself.

Presented in its original English libretto, Amahl and the Night Visitors will be a welcome addition to anyone’s Christmas celebration. The performance will be preceded by a carol sing by carolers in Victorian costume.

Reserved seat tickets for Amahl and the Night Visitors, which is sponsored by the generosity of the Baptist Church of Franklin, are $15 for adults and $12 for seniors and children.

Franklin Opera House is located in City Hall, 316 Central Street, Franklin, in the heart of the Lakes Region.  There is ample free parking all around the Opera House and no obstructed-view seats anywhere in the theater.