Gian Carlo Menotti wrote about two dozen works for the stage, but none of his operas and theater pieces, with the exception of Amahl and the Night Visitors and perhaps The Consul  and The Telephone, have become part of the repertoire of opera companies in the United States.

Among this extensive output there is one little offbeat work he wrote in 1968 that seems strangely out of place, the oddly fascinating Help, Help, the Globolinks!, which the composer called an opera “for children and people who like children.”

The story is about a group of aliens, called Globolinks, who are invading Earth.

When the opera opens, a busload of children returning to school stalls unexpectedly and is soon surrounded by these creatures. The kids soon discover that the aliens are repulsed by music. Emily, the only child who took her violin with her on the bus, bravely goes off alone with her instrument to get help.

In the meantime, the teachers become concerned that the students haven’t arrived yet and go out to find them. They reach the youngsters and then set out to find Emily. The principal, Dr. Stone, is able to save Emily in a final gesture of kindness before he transforms into a Globolink himself.

One of the Globolinks (Photo: Courtesy Utah State University Opera Theatre)

Utah State University will be performing a fully staged production of Help, Help, the Globolinks! this Saturday in Kent Concert Hall. “We’re super excited to do this,” said director of opera Dallas Heaton in a phone interview with Reichel Recommends. “It’s a quirky piece and we’ve been having a lot of fun putting it together.”

In the original version, the Globolinks are afraid of music, and are always accompanied by electronic sounds. They stand as a symbol for Menotti’s conviction that live music was dying in part because composers of the day (the 1960s) were rejecting it and instead were writing for electronic media.

In USU’s version, the Globolinks come to Earth for a slightly different reason. “We’ve taken that idea and modernized it,” Heaton said. “They come here because they’re drawn to our use of cellphones and other devices. They’re here out of curiosity.

“It was [stage director] Stefan Espinosa’s idea and I think it’s fabulous.”

Set and costume designer Dennis Hassan had a great time coming up with designs, Heaton said. “I think he’s had some brilliant ideas. The Globolinks look more like aliens, with tentacles, headdresses and big eyes. They look scary, more than we had intended, but they’re impressive.” They’re also going to be on either drywall or jumping stilts, Heaton said.

Originally, the production was going to be in the newly renovated Utah Theatre in downtown Logan, but the project hasn’t been fully completed yet. “We had to shift to Kent, which because of its cavernous size isn’t really suited to opera.

“It’s big for the kids to fill with their voices, and we’re not using amplification because I’m morally opposed to it.”

But the young cast has stepped up to the challenge, Heaton said. “They’ve done a very good job with it. They’ve invested themselves in it and they’ve been impressive.”

Among the cast are Megan Warburton (Emily); Shalayna Guisao (Madame Euterpova, the Music Teacher); Jacob Spjute (Dr. Stone); and Jaron Putnam (Bus Driver). As the Globolinks are Kylie Evans, Sam Meredith, Josh Musselman and Andrew Taylor.

Heaton will conduct members of the USU Symphony Orchestra.

• PERFORMANCE DETAILS: 
• What: Utah State University Opera Theatre, Help, Help, the Globolinks!, by Gian Carlo Menotti
• Venue: Kent Concert Hall, Utah State University
• Time and Date: 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. March 28
• Tickets: $10 general, $8 seniors and youth, $5 USU faculty and staff, free for students
• Phone: 435-797-8022
• Web: www.arts.usu.edu