In our little community of Malibu, we have a plethora of actors and actresses, directors, producers, and writers who are known all over the world for their movies and television. But isn’t it exciting that another flourishing group of gifted and talented people are turning their expertise towards their own community? I’m speaking of the wonderful “Amahl and the Night Visitors,” presented last week at Smothers Theatre.
An amazing amalgam of community groups — the Malibu Coast Chamber Orchestra, Malibu Coast Opera, Los Angeles Opera, Malibu Civic Ballet, Independent Dance Company, Pepperdine University, Malibu High School and Malibu Playhouse — all worked beautifully together to create magic for all of us here.
Hats especially off to Producers Deborah La Gorce Kramer, Scott Hosfeld and Maria Newman. And wasn’t it a delight to find the venerable owners of the Times among the financial supporters?
The three amazing directors — of music, theatre and dance — managed to weld different groups into one delightful performance, led by the marvelous singing of Amahl (Isabella Thatcher) and his Bedouin mother (Nandani Maria Sinha). My wife, Joan, and I were lucky enough to attend one of the two nights. We found the incident when the crippled Arab boy offers the Three Wise Men his crutch to bring to the Christ Child especially moving, and, suddenly, he finds himself cured and dances around the tent, singing and rejoicing.
A wonderful evening to be remarked on and remembered.
Paul Almond