STAGE: An Opera Primer

"I see the opera that I need: one without excessive proportion or a decorative spectacle."

Love. Passion. Betrayal. Who's sleeping with whom. ... This is opera, Doc. And the heart and soul of opera is the power of love in all its forms: romantic, passionate, redemptive, illicit (especially) and chaste. Opera adds music to love's turmoil, and love's power is released and seen as more intense, more real, than would be possible with words alone. Opera also involves a wider variety of art forms than any other artistic medium. Writing, singing, acting, orchestral music, often dance, painting, makeup, costume design and lighting are all there to intensify the experience and arouse the passions. Opera is not "cool"; it's hot.

One of the hottest of the hot is Puccini's Tosca, a real package of love, lust and murder. With its tight, uncomplicated story, pervasive corruption and intelligent, attractive villain, it is the ultimate opera noir (sort of like Frank Miller's Sin City but with a single dagger instead of an arsenal of guns). Tosca is easy to "get." It was designed to be so. It has a straightforward plot with political undertones. The music gives many clues to the action, and the language really isn't much of a barrier, even if the opera is performed without supertitles. With its easy-to-follow storyline, minimal scenery requirements and accessible music (one of its most famous arias is a Three Tenors staple), Tosca has become a mainstay of large and small opera companies throughout the world. Unlike "grand" operas like Aida and the Wagner works, where size really matters, Tosca's power remains intact in smaller venues as long as the cast is competent.

It has been more than 10 years since the opera has been seen in Las Vegas. Now, a performance of Tosca is coming to UNLV as part of Nevada Opera Theatre's 20th anniversary celebration. The company gives more than 60 local performances annually, including two mainstage productions, outdoor festival events at Montelago Village, and a number of concerts for local schoolchildren.

Eileen Hayes, Nevada Opera Theatre's founder and general director, reports that the production will feature international artists in the lead roles and a full professional orchestra. Local singers fill out the remainder of the cast, along with a 25-member chorus. To add to the audience's appreciation, there will be a free discussion of the opera in the lobby of the auditorium prior to the performance, at 1:20 p.m.

(There's also a post-concert event: Pasta and Puccini, a buffet and chance to mingle with singers, immediately after the show at the Judy Bayley Theatre. Cost: $50. Call 731-3370.)

The central characters are a famous singer, Tosca, and her boyfriend, Cavaradossi ("Cav"), an artist who has fallen in with a crowd of political insurgents. At the opening, he hides one of them from Scarpia (the bad guy). Tosca thinks he is hiding a new girlfriend. They sort it out. Scarpia, the new police chief, has the hots for Tosca.

Scarpia eventually arrests Cav and tortures him to find out where the fugitive lives. Tosca becomes upset hearing her boyfriend being tortured. Scarpia says he will free Cav if Tosca sleeps with him. She agrees. There is some complicated business about the firing squad shooting blanks at Cav so he and Tosca can head for the border after the fake execution.

Tosca gets a safe-conduct letter from Scarpia so she and Cav can split. Just as he grabs her to seal their bargain, she stabs and kills him. Tosca then runs upstairs to the top of the building to pick up Cav. Unfortunately, Scarpia "forgot" to tell the firing squad to shoot blanks. Oops! Cav gets snuffed and the cops are on their way to bust Tosca for murder. Figuring that life pretty much sucks, she jumps off the parapet to her death.

Passion, bloodshed, desire and death—everything that makes life worth living.