Anthony Potts, Emilia Kaplan, and Eve Scharback Photo courtesy of Skylark Opera Theatre

The Christmas Spider has its origins as a eastern European folk tale, with Ukraine and Germany both claiming to be its birthplace. In its original form, it is about a poor widow and her children who barely have enough to eat. A pinecone takes root outside their hut and a sapling emerges in the summer. The delighted children nurture it so that they can have their own Christmas tree. By December 24, the tree has grown but the family cannot afford to decorate it, and they go to bed disappointed. They awaken to find that a spider in the tree has worked all night to cover it with webs. When the sunlight hits the webs, they turn to strands of silver and gold, and the family never lived in poverty again. And that is how sparkly, metallic tinsel became a beloved Christmas tree decoration.

The one-act (running 45 minutes) chamber opera has been developed by the American Opera Project, with a score by Clint Borzoni and libretto by John de los Santos, whose prior collaborations include When Adonis Calls and The Copper Queen. De los Santos is also the librettist of Service Provider, presented by Minnesota Opera in its program of one-act operas last season. The Christmas Spider premiered last year at Opera Louisiana in Baton Rouge.

In Borzoni and de los Santos' rendition of The Christmas Spider, the parent is a father, a poor wood cutter named Federov, who can barely keep his two children–daughter Zoya and son Dymtro–fed, clothed or warm. At Christmas, Federov has not sold enough firewood to buy the sweet cake he promised the children, bringing home just a small loaf of black bread for Christmas Eve dinner. Gifts are out of the question. To add to the family's woes, their wealthy landlady, Ohla Petrina, arrives to collect the rent on their hut, already a month overdue. It is only Federov's pleading and the gaunt looks of his children that move Ohla Petrina to give him five more days to pay.

Zoya wants something new and special to make Christmas happy. Federov tells her he has no money, but they have each other, the best gift of all. Then the children have an idea: a Christmas tree! Their papa needs only go into the woods and cut one down. Federov agrees, though reminding them that they have no decorations to make it sparkle. He brings in a small but lovely tree, and the family is happy with it until Zoya sees a large spider on a bough and screams. Dymtro bravely steps forward to kill it but Federov stops him, saying that the spider has done nothing to them and that in a cruel world it is important to be kind. The children go to sleep and in the morning, as in the legend, the spider has turned the tree into a glittering beauty. When they find another bit of treasure, also attributed to the spider, their good fortune takes a more dramatic turn, and the story unfolds to underscore the value of kindness toward all, creatures and people alike.

This version of the legend of the Christmas Spider has the benefit of two voices, a baritone and soprano, in the adult roles. Both are sung beautifully by baritone Anthony Potts as Federov and soprano Karin Wolverton as Ohla Patrina. Potts sings expressively, conveying Federov's abiding love for his children and his sorrow at not being able to provide more for them, also offering a brief but loving remembrance of their mother (assumed to be deceased). He expresses delight in his children's ideas and antics, in spite of their hardships. Wolverton's performance captures the arrogance of this bourgeoise woman who is blind to the plight of her tenants, and delivers a bravura comedic aria, "You have no idea...," lamenting the "terrible" ordeals she suffers, such as having to replace her drapes–oblivious to how shallow her needs are in the face of this destitute family.

The two child roles are sung by Emilia Kaplan as Dymtro and Eve Scharback as Zoya. Their playful interactions as siblings are completely authentic, and they each take on a winning persona–Kaplan's Dymtro, the older brother, is stoic and protective, while Scharback's Zoya uses her charms as the younger child to sway her father's will, and to freely ask innocent, though profound, questions. Both sing well, but with difficulty projecting their voices so that some of the lyrics are hard to make out over the musical ensemble, which was unfortunate. Fortunately, de los Santos' stage direction always make the actions clear to the audience, so that missing some of the words does not derail us from following the story.

The ensemble, under music director James Barnett, consists of piano, flute, cello, and violin, along with two off-stage singers who serve as a chorus along with Potts and Wolverton. Borzoni's score is lovely, with several gripping themes, especially one built on the notion Federov conveys to his children that other gifts lose their glitter, but they will never lose value to one another, and so "each other is so much," sung together as a family on Christmas Eve, and repeated by the chorus while the children sleep through the cold night.

That scene in particular is brilliantly lit by Grant Merges, as the night darkens and the interior of their hut, where the children sleep on blankets piled on the floor, remains illuminated in shadows, then gradually brightens with the dawn. Merges lighting throughout the show is excellent. There is no credit given for costume design, but each character's costume captures their status and persona, in particular Ohla Petrina's lush black fur hat and wrap, and her dazzling earrings, and Zoya's layered garb, as if wearing everything she owned all at once for safe-keeping or to stay warm, or both.

The Christmas Spider is very suitable for young audiences, but endowed with a heartfelt story and engaging score that can absolutely appeal to any age. I hope that Skylark Opera does remount this chamber opera in future years. I can easily imagine it joining the roster of beloved holiday entertainments that never grow old, and its message of acceptance and kindness will always be in season.

The Christmas Spider, presented by Skylark Opera Theatre, runs through December 22, 2024, at Saint Paul Conservatory of Performing Artists, Lowry Lab Theatre, 16 W 5th St, St Paul MN. For tickets and information, please visit www.skylarkopera.org.

Music: Clint Borzoni; Libretto: John de los Santos; Music Director: James Barnett; Stage Director: John de los Santos; Lighting Design: Grant Merges; Technical Advisor: Alex Ritchie; Stage Manager: Rebecca Kravchenko.

Cast: Siena Forest (offstage chorus), Emilia Kaplan (Dymtro), Anthony Potts (Federov), Alex Ritchie (offstage chorus), Eve Scharback (Zoya), Karin Wolverton (Olha Petrina).