‘Amahl and the Night Visitors” to pay visit

Jefferson - Local 12-year-old Connor Buckley will star as Amahl in Gian Carlo Menotti’s classic family opera, Amahl and the Night Visitors, at 4 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 8, at First Presbyterian Church of Berkshire Valley. In the story, the mother sends her son, Amahl, to summon the neighboring shepherds to bring whatever they might have to share with the three Magi. Likewise, Sparta’s Cameo Productions, Ltd., has brought together singers, dancers and musicians from Sussex and Morris Counties and other parts of N.J. to share their talents as the shepherds and shepherdesses in this magical tale of a crippled shepherd boy and his destitute mother who are visited by the three kings following the star to the manger. Buckley, a seventh grader from Boonton with an impressive theatrical resume, will play the title role of Amahl, while the night visitors, (the three Magi), and Amahl’s mother will be sung by three of Cameo’s professional singers, who have appeared internationally and on Broadway and in the NYC Opera. This classic musical and theatrical masterpiece is both amusing and moving, and equally appealing to young and old. Special family tickets, for two parents and all their minor children, are available for $33. Single ticket general admission is $15; $5 for children under 12. Seating is limited and tickets can be ordered in advance by calling 973-729-5524. All unsold tickets will be made available at the door one half hour before the show. Funding for the activities of Cameo Productions, Ltd., has been made available in part by the N.J. State Council on the Arts/Dept. of State through the State/County Block Grant program as administered by the Sussex County Arts and Heritage Council. The First Presbyterian Church of Berkshire Valley, is located at 635 Berkshire Valley Rd., Jefferson, just west of the junction of Rte. 15 and Berkshire Valley Rd., two miles north of exit 34b of U.S. Rte. 80.