This evening, set your sights on a New York opera

Today, you might actually be able to tell someone that you are headed to the opera, without referring to being jostled by the millions of businessmen that throng the area around the derelict Royal Opera House at Kalbadevi. You might also be able to see an Italian opera without being dressed in a gown or a tuxedo.

The catch? The opera will be a screening of a performance at New York's Metropolitan Opera Theatre (The Met), which, in its endevour to look for newer audiences worldwide, has tied up with the National Centre for the Performing Arts (NCPA).

You will be able to see a new opera being beamed in high-definition at the NCPA every month till May, as part of The Met: Live in HD series.

Deepa Gahlot, head of theatre and film programming at the NCPA, says, "The idea is to demystify this art form, and get more people interested in it." Kick-starting with the Italian comedy, L'Elisir d'Amore, the screenings are part of the Met's strategy to look for audiences and revenue beyond conventional sources.

"People who watch operas are blown away by then," she believes. AT: L'Elisir d'Amore is being screened today (2 pm and 6.30 pm) and tomorrow (6.30 pm) at Dance Theatre Godrej, NCPA. Tickets: Rs 500u00a0

On stage
Gaetano Donizetti's enduring comedy L'Elisir d'Amore (The Elixir of Love) was the most performed opera in Italy between 1838 and 1848. Anna Netrebko and Matthew Polenzani star in Bartlett Sher's production as the fickle Adina and her besotted Nemorino. Mariusz Kwiecien is the blustery sergeant Belcore