Orlando loves the story of the famed World War I Christmas truce of 1914, a ceasefire that was spontaneous and sincere. After all, what’s not to love about the real-life event in which German and British soldiers, on opposite sides of the grueling war, left their battlefield trenches to celebrate the holiday — and rediscover a common humanity.
That story is told in the musical-documentary (docu-musical?) stage show “All is Calm,” and Opera Orlando is presenting the work — for a third time — because of popular demand. It had its Central Florida premiere in 2019 in the Pugh Theater of the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts.
“We thought we were going to do it once,” says Opera Orlando general director Gabriel Preisser. “But then everybody loved it in 2019 and said, ‘You should do this every Christmas.’”
That might be a bit too much, Preisser said — but the opera company did restage the show in 2022, this time in the arts center’s grand Steinmetz Hall, to more acclaim.
And now it’s back again, with free community performances as part of Opera Orlando’s 10th-season celebrations. Yes, you read that right: Free. But act fast as tickets to the four free performances, hosted by Orlando Family Stage, are going fast.
“We always want to give back to the community in some way,” says Preisser. So as the opera company planned its milestone season and reflected on its most popular productions over the past decade, an idea was born: “What if we made this our 10th-anniversary gift to the community?”
In true “All Is Calm” fashion, though, when word got out about the free performances, demand led to interest from other organizations. So now Opera Orlando is taking the show on a mini-tour. “All Is Calm” also will play in partnership with the Winter Garden Heritage Foundation at the Garden Theatre in Winter Garden and as part of the new Arts at the J series at the Rosen JCC’s Pargh Event Center in southwest Orlando during the run-up to Christmas.
“We didn’t plan to tour it, but once people find out we’re doing it … it’s happening,” Preisser says.
Opera Orlando presented the Central Florida premiere of “All Is Calm” in 2019 in the Pugh Theater at the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts. (Courtesy Opera Orlando)
In previous years, demand resulted in the show traveling to the Ritz Theater in Sanford, the Polk Theatre in Lakeland and Montverde Academy so students at the Lake County school could see it.
And, as “All Is Calm” is a story of soldiers, Opera Orlando always has set aside free tickets for veterans, many of whom have told Preisser how moved they were by the performance.
“Any time we’ve done it, it’s been so well received,” Preisser says.
Why does he think that is?
“Two things always jump out to me,” he says. “The fact every line of dialogue is taken from actual letters or source material of that time. It really is a living history. The truthfulness is very compelling.”
And the second thing?
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“There are some beautiful harmonies, and hearing men’s voices a cappella… it’s like barbershop quartet on steroids. It’s so satisfying.”
Written by Peter Rothstein, “All Is Calm” combines familiar carols such as “O Holy Night” and, of course, “Silent Night,” with popular songs of the early 1900s. The all-male cast relates the hopes and fears of ordinary soldiers through their own words.
“Without preaching, ‘All Is Calm’ clearly shows that humans are fundamentally good — and war is opposed to our most basic nature,” I wrote in my 2019 review when Opera Orlando presented the Central Florida premiere of the work. “My Christmas wish is that the entire world recognizes the message of peace found in this profound and profoundly heart-stirring show.”
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One of the fascinating aspects of the real-life event is how two warring factions came together to bond over music. To that end, those who attend this year’s performances of “All Is Calm” will be asked to take a pre-show and post-show survey by UCF Restores, a nonprofit clinical research center and treatment clinic that studies PTSD and other trauma-related issues.
The surveys’ goal: To see if the show can inspire or increase empathy in the listeners.
“The question is, does this kind of theater make a difference?” Preisser says. “We know anecdotally it does, but it’s good to have statistics that show that. This is where music meets empathy, which is a hallmark of the piece.”
Participants also will be have the chance to sign the Central Florida Pledge, an initiative to increase respect, kindness, dignity and anti-discrimination activity in the community.
While “All Is Calm” salutes Opera Orlando’s history, it also serves as a warm-up to a future production. The company will present the regional premiere of the Pulitzer prize-winning “Silent Night,” an opera also about the 1914 Christmas truce, in 2026.
Opera Orlando will present “All Is Calm,” pictured in a 2022 production, at Orlando Family Stage, the Pargh Event Center as part of Arts at the J, and the Garden Theatre. (Courtesy Opera Orlando)
“It’s also such a powerful piece,” Preisser says. “It’s a modern classic.”
Time will tell if “Silent Night” also strikes a chord with Central Floridians. But Preisser is sure this year’s “All Is Calm” will be more meaningful than ever.
“In 2019 we thought this was poignant,” he says. “But with all the wars in the world — Gaza, Ukraine — it’s even more poignant now.”
Follow me at facebook.com/matthew.j.palm or email me at mpalm@orlandosentinel.com. Find more entertainment news and reviews at orlandosentinel.com/entertainment or sign up to receive our weekly emailed Entertainment newsletter.
‘All Is Calm’
At Orlando Family Stage: 7:30 p.m. Dec. 12, 2 and 7:30 p.m. Dec. 13, 2 p.m. Dec. 14; 1001 E. Princeton St. in Orlando. Free, but RSVP required.
At Pargh Event Center: 7:30 p.m. Dec. 18; Rosen JCC, 11184 S. Apopka-Vineland Road in Orlando. $29 adults, $25 students and seniors.
At Garden Theatre: 7:30 p.m. Dec. 20, 2 p.m. Dec. 21; 160 W. Plant St. in Winter Garden. $69 adults, $79 with premium seating and post-show cast meet-and-greet; $99 with preshow reception in addition to the other perks.
More info: To register for free tickets or buy tickets to the other performances, go to operaorlando.org/trenches2025-26.
