Just sitting in El Teatro at El Museo del Barrio before Gotham Chamber Opera and Tectonic Theater Project's production of El gato con botas (Puss in Boots) begins is a visual prelude to the magical hour of music, storytelling and puppetry that is to come. The interior of the theater is filled with gorgeous murals painted in 1921 by the illustrator Willy Pogany, each depicting a scene from a famous fairytale including Jack and the Beanstalk, Hansel and Gretel and Puss in Boots.

Catalan composer Xavier Montsalvatge wrote El gato con botas, a tuneful one act opera, in 1947 and the music is splendid, filled with character, complexity and wonderfully accessible to all ears. Based on classic fairy tale, it tells the story of a cat who cleverly orchestrates the good life for his master, a poor miller, asking in return only a hat, a cape, a sword and a pair of boots. Four people and a puppet create the nuanced character of Puss in Boots in a feat of superb artistry: the charm and moxie of Puss, a mangy cat, operated by three extraordinary puppeteers (Stefano Brancato, Jonothon Lyons and Aaron Schroeder) and sung with warmth and wit by mezzo-soprano Ginger Costa-Jackson, is irresistible.

As in many fairytales, the hero (here the poor miller, helped by Puss in Boots) faces challenges that have to be overcome in order to get the girl and achieve fame and fortune. In one of the most magnificent scenes, he faces off with an ogre. The ogre puppet is brilliantly fashioned in pieces that come together and fall apart depending on how much wine the ogre has imbibed -- and the puppeteers depict his growing inebriation with amazing accuracy!  Kevin Burdette’s resonant bass voice captures the arrogance and aggression of the ogre and he brings a great physicality to the role. He’s a perfect extension of the magnificent and terrifying puppet that dominates the stage. In fact, the entire cast is outstanding: Andrea Carroll plays a sassy soprano princess with a tender heart, Craig Verm as the handsome hero sings with charming passion, and Stefanos Koroneos is fun to watch as he mines many humorous moments in the role of the diminutive king.

Both Neal Goren, conductor and artistic director of Gotham Chamber Opera, and Moisés Kaufman, director and artistic director of Tectonic Theater Project, are internationally renowned theater artists who have brought a unique vision to the telling of the Puss in Boots story. Along with breathtaking puppetry created by London’s Blind Summit Theater, Mr. Goren and Mr. Kaufman have given New York audiences a jewel of a show that sparks our imaginations. Take your children or your inner kid, and go see this opera. It's a perfect holiday outing!

Performances of El gato con botas continue through December 14. For more information visit https://www.gothamchamberopera.org/