Give Opera a Chance

If you’re not into opera, you probably think only of red-cheeked, portly singers decked out in 18th-century attire and emanating a discomforting level of vibrato in a foreign language. A reference to “unbridled emotions” on the Lyric Opera’s Web site, in a description of its upcoming production of Giacomo Puccini’s Tosca, doesn’t really improve this picture. But, really, opera can be awesome. Don’t take it from us, though. Take it from the Kansas City Lyric Opera Guild, which tonight introduces the Tosca story at the Plaza Branch of the Kansas City, Missouri, Public Library (4801 Main). During the At Ease With Opera program, expert Dan Dagenais talks about the political climate in Rome during the period in which Tosca is set and how that drama figures into the show’s intense music and character relations. Understanding all this — and knowing about the English subtitles that the Lyric projects above its stage — should help ease you into opera next month. (Tosca opens at the Lyric Opera on September 11.) Tonight’s program is free; call 816-701-3407 to RSVP.

Mon., Aug. 17, 7 p.m., 2009