How I Learned to Stop Eye-rolling and Love the Opera

Odds are, seeing the word “opera” up above has brought up thoughts of screeching women in Viking helmets and over-dramatic singing by chubby, old people in silly costumes. A year ago, I would have thought the same thing, until my eyes were opened to the perfect blend of playfulness, seriousness, music, and story that is opera.

While in Italy last May, my mom and I got to see a baroque and rococo concert performed by Venetian singers and musicians. Hearing such music–performed live by Italians in their own language and in period-accurate costumes–ignited my interest in opera. As soon as I returned home, I searched for the chance to see another show. I knew it would not compare to my experience in Venice, but I could not pass up the chance to see another opera–I needed to find out if my newfound enjoyment of this art form was not a fluke.

The Opera Theatre of St. Louis performed four different operas last summer, and in June I saw two operettas in one sitting, Pagliacci and Il Tabarro. This time, the singers performed in colorful costumes from the 1930s, and they sung in English, with subtitles displayed on a small screen. Two dramas unfolded that day, telling stories of love, betrayal, and murder. The theater itself, the Loretto-Hilton Center for the Performing Arts at Webster University, was intimate and small enough that any seat was a good seat in the house. Tickets range from $25 (Matinee) to $125.

If an opera in a theater setting is still a little too intimidating for you, you can get your feet wet by seeing a broadcast of New York City’s renowned Metropolitan Opera at a local movie theater. Select theaters play one live broadcast of each show, along with one encore showing later. Tickets cost a few dollars more than regular movie tickets.

The opportunities to experience an opera in St. Louis are abundant, and certainly nothing to pass up. With stories as whimsical as fairytales or as gripping as crime novels, with sumptuous sets and costumes, and music both glorious and dynamic, opera is certainly worth your while. Acquaint yourself with a new “flavor” of entertainment, be a little open to seeing a style you are not used to, and maybe you will come away with a new story you love.