In whatยs fast becoming a welcome staple on the Houston holiday performance circuit, the Sandra Organ Dance Company today pre-sents Amahl and the Night Visitors ย which, it turns out, was a tradition in another time. First performed on NBC in 1951, the 45-minute opera by Gian Carlo Menotti played on television every year until 1966. Thanks now to Organ and choreographer James Sewell, Houston has its own version of the tale about three wise men coming to the home of a disabled boy and his mother (theyยre on the way to see a king ย guess who?). Sewellยs version uses ballet and American Sign Language to relate Amahlยs story, which explores sin, redemption and the astonishing generosity of a boy desperately in need of some himself. 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. today and Saturday. Hobby Center for the Performing Arts, 800 Bagby. For tickets and information, call 713-315-2525 or visit www.organdance.org. $12 to $25.
Sat., Dec. 15, 2 & 7:30 p.m.; Sun., Dec. 16, 2 & 7:30 p.m., 2007
This article appears in Dec 13-19, 2007.