Kingly Christmas show: Painted Sky Opera brings back family-friendly yuletide show 'Amahl and the Night Visitors'

Mark Johnson is tapping into his family history as he reprises the role of a "slightly deaf and somewhat daffy" king in Painted Sky Opera's encore production of "Amahl and the Night Visitors."

"I had a quirky aunt, Aunt Clara, and she was the kind of lady that decorated her walker later in her life for every season that she went through. So, you would see her around Thanksgiving time, and she had a turkey stuck on the front. ... And then it would switch to Christmas, then it would switch to the shamrock," Johnson recalled. "She used to say, 'Mark, listen to old people and listen to children because they're closer to the eternal and closer to the creative than all of the rest of us in the middle.'"

The Oklahoma City actor is returning as King Kasper, one of three royals following a star in the hopes of finding the newborn Christ in Painted Sky's Dec. 13-14 sophomore presentation of the family-friendly yuletide favorite. After last year's successful debut, Oklahoma City's only professional opera company is adding a third performance for its weekend run at the First Baptist Church of Oklahoma City, along with two Enid shows Sunday with the Enid Symphony Orchestra.

"One of my favorite parts is just seeing the excitement that children get when they get to see a production and they get to hear what the human body can actually produce," said Rob Glaubitz, Painted Sky co-founder and artistic director.

Family favorite

The first opera written for television, the one-act show by Gian-Carlo Menotti was originally performed on NBC in the 1950s. Performed in English and running about 45 minutes long, the Christmas show is ideal for introducing children to the art form, said Barbara Fox DeMaio, Painted Sky executive director and co-founder.

“I grew up watching it on TV," she said.

The show follows the Three Wise Men as they stop to rest in the home of a poor widow and her young son Amahl, who is clever but crippled. The family's life is forever changed by their encounter with the "Night Visitors."

"It is work of the richest kind to collaborate once more on this beloved opera," said Molly Cason Johnson, who is returning to direct Painted Sky's production. "This year, the opera’s themes of provision and providence have spoken loudly to me. ... I hope that we, through this beautiful score and story, provide our listeners with a renewed spirit of generosity and thankfulness."

Painted Sky Opera is again partnering with First Baptist of Oklahoma City to collect food and clothing items for its CareForOKC ministry. In addition, the Dec. 13-14 performances in the downtown church's sanctuary will include pre-show entertainment: a talk with Painted Sky Music Director Jan McDaniel, free cookies and a 10-minute performance on the church's majestic pipe organ.

While the cast will perform with a small ensemble — two pianos, oboe, percussion and string bass — in OKC, Sunday's Enid shows will give the company the opportunity to sing with a full orchestra.

"I'm excited to see what happens this year and how many people come back. I'm expecting a lot 'cause of last year," said Austin Rindler, who is playing Amahl.

Returning players

Most of the cast from last year's production is returning for this year's presentation, including Austin, who made his opera debut last year in the title role.

"The only thing I did before was things like school plays, and we never talked about things like blocking. We never used technical terms like that. So, I was new to this whole thing and all, and I learned a lot," said the Edmond youth, who turns 12 on Friday. "The cast has a lot better chemistry than it had before ... and we can focus on other things, like giving it that extra spark."

That chemistry is especially important between the Casady sixth-grader and Mark Johnson, since Amahl and King Kasper forge a fast friendship.

"Kasper is at the end of his life ... and as a guy who's looked at the heavens all his life, this is it. This is the thing in all the books and all the prophecies — here it is. ... The other two guys are obviously younger and they're excited about it. But they still have their lives in front of them," Johnson said. "It's a big moment for him as a scholar and sky-watcher."

The Enid trip will present a big moment for the actor: He made his professional debut there in 1984 singing the tenor role in "Elijah" as he was finishing his graduate studies at Oklahoma City University.

"It will be a really cool symmetrical thing for me," he said.

ON STAGE

Painted Sky Opera’s 'Amahl and the Night Visitors'

ENID

When: 2 and 8 p.m. Sunday.

Where: With the Enid Symphony Orchestra at the Joan L. Allen Symphony Hall, 301 W Broadway, Enid.

Tickets and information: www.enidsymphony.org.

OKLAHOMA CITY

When: 7 p.m. Dec. 13, and 1 and 5 p.m. Dec. 14. Pre-show activities begin one hour before show times.

Where: First Baptist Church of Oklahoma City, 1201 N Robinson Ave.

Tickets and information: www.paintedskyopera.org.