Intrigue at the Opera

A date at the opera? Opera storylines often revolve around murder, intrigue, magic and star-crossed lovers. We're talking devious plots with enough fi reworks to teach Erica Kane and Stefano DiMera a thing or two. Or maybe you don't care about intrigue but simply have a weakness for screeching fat ladies. Whatever your reason for seeing an opera, don't be nervous. It's less painful than you might imagine and before long you might be belting out your very own ariettas.

Opera has traditionally been performed in a foreign language, but many companies now preform in English or the theater may have subtitles like in foreign fi lms.

COST

A night at the opera can run from $15 a seat to hundreds of dollars. Opera can be expensive if you are looking for front row seats at the Met. However, if you can handle sitting a little farther back you might fi nd something more reasonably priced. Be sure to bring your binoculars if you go for the really cheap seats. Operas at smaller, less-prestigious houses will be much more reasonably priced.

Remember to budget for parking and a drink, or perhaps several drinks. Some houses have an open bar during intermission. Also, if you make an evening out of it, include the cost of dinner.

LENGTH OF DATE

How long does an opera usually last? Let's see, childbirth—opera… childbirth—opera… Okay, opera. Opera is anything but quick. Each performance will run two-and-a-half to three hours. So if you only attend the opera, allow up to four hours from pick-up to drop-off. If you are including dinner, add an additional two hours.

WHEN AND WHERE

If you live in a large city, you are set. Most major cities have opera companies that perform from September through May, right after baseball season. To fi nd an opera house or opera company in your area, try the yellow pages under "opera" or "performing arts" or check out the following sites:

For information on opera throughout the United States, including a schedule of performances, links to sites, online opera classes, opera CD's and much about opera, try www.operaworld.com.

A VERY comprehensive site that includes a list of professional, semiprofessional, academic and amateur opera companies and festivals is http://opera.stanford.edu (click on "Opera Companies").

ATTIRE

This is one of those dates where you absolutely have to dress up. Let your date know ahead of time.

PICKING AN OPERA

Your fi rst time out, pick a light-hearted opera that's easy on the ears. One way to do that is to preview a CD of the opera. You can fi nd CDs of operas at the following locations:

LIBRARY Your local library will have a selection of opera CDs. Try a few from the list that we include in "Operas for the Beginner."

OPERA HOUSE Contact your local opera house and ask if they sell CDs of the operas that they will be presenting.

INTERNET You can purchase CDs at some of the major music sites and at www.operaworld.com.

OPERAS FOR THE BEGINNER

Consider starting with one of these fine operas:

Le Nozze di Figaro (The Marriage of Figaro) This is Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's magnifi cent opera about two servants of the Duke Almaviva who want to marry each other, but the Duke has other plans for the would-be bride. It's up to Figaro, the groom and a comic hero, to plot his way out of the tangle.

The Magic Flute A supernatural tale featuring a questing prince, his bird-catcher sidekick who's searching for the perfect bride, and the mysterious Queen of the Night.

The Pirates of Penzance and H.M.S. Pinafore These are British operettas, which were the 19th century equivalent of the Broadway musical. Pirates and Pinafore both have catchy melodies and poke fun at the British upper class.

Carmen Find passion and treachery in a Spain that's fi lled with gypsy women and toreadors. This opera features plenty of Spanishstyle music that you might be familiar with, and we're not talking songs by Menudo.

Porgy and Bess Composed by George Gershwin, this American opera begins on Catfi sh Row in Charleston, South Carolina, where Jasbo Brown is playing the blues for a group of dancers. It follows the lives of African Americans in the South during the 1920s. Being greatly infl uenced by jazz and swing, this opera gave birth to the classic ballad "Summertime."

Candide With many reincarnations under its belt, this opera tells of the innocent and optimistic Candide, who journeys with his mentor from land to land getting into adventures and searching for his love Cunegonde. Adapted from Voltaire's classic book by the same name.

IMPRESS YOUR DATE: COOL OPERA INFORMATION

Visit the website of the Metropolitan Opera (www.metopera.org) for a synopsis of nearly a hundred different operas. This is like reading the opera version of the Cliff notes. It gives you an act-by-act breakdown of what is happening. For instance, here's what the Met's site has to say about the fi rst half of the fi rst act of The Marriage of Figaro:

"ACT I. A country estate outside of Seville during the late eighteenth century. While preparing for their wedding, the valet Figaro learns from the maid Susanna that their philandering employer, Count Almaviva, has designs on her. At this the servant vows to outwit his master. Before long the scheming Bartolo enters the servants' quarters with his housekeeper, Marcellina, who wants Figaro to marry her to cancel a debt he cannot pay. After Marcellina and Susanna trade insults, the amorous page Cherubino arrives, reveling in his infatuation with all women. He hides when the Count shows up, furious because he caught Cherubino fl irting with Barbarina, the gardener's daughter..."

OPERATIC ALARM?

Whatever you do, please don't drink before or during an opera if you are the kind who likes to sing along. On the other hand, a delicate fl ask full of your favorite libation might be just what the evening needs!

OPERA DATE AT HOME

You and your date can buy opera CDs or check some out from the library and spend an evening at home listening to opera and eating popcorn, among other things.