Seeing the Met Opera in the megaplex

I've never been in person to the Metropolitan Opera House in New York City. But I go several times a year. How? By trekking to a suburban movie theater in my hometown.

The Met's "Live in HD" series is bringing 10 operas to the big screen this season. So on a recent Saturday, my spouse and I drove to a fancy movie house in the Twin Cities suburb of St. Louis Park. We queued up for The Barber of Seville alongside the audience for Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part 1. They were there for Jennifer Lawrence; we were there for Isabel Leonard.

What's it like to watch a live opera in a movie theater? It's exciting. It's close up. Not better. But different.

In the opera house, depending on where you sit, you might need opera glasses to see detail on stage, and the view angle doesn't change. In the movie theater, the sound is superb; microphones are hidden onstage, in costumes and in wigs. The camerawork is stunning. The costumes are beautiful, historically accurate, and every stitch is in place. With cameras and lenses like these, everything onstage must be perfect — and it is.

Anyone who loves the 1987 Norman Jewison film Moonstruck — in which Puccini's La bohème seals the deal between lovers Loretta Castorini and Ronny Cammareri — knows that the Metropolitan Opera House is a romantic place. When the audience extends worldwide over a High Definition television hookup, however, attendees probably think twice about showing up at Lincoln Center with someone who is not their spouse or fiancé[e]. After all, in the minutes leading up to the overture, there are candid close-ups of people in the auditorium. We see and hear the orchestra tuning up. Anticipation builds. On screen comes the slide, "5 minutes to The Barber of Seville…"

Soon, the chandeliers in Lincoln Center go up, the house lights go out, the maestro strides to the pit, the music begins. It's intense. Here we go. The Barber of Seville is among the most familiar and popular of operas. The tunes are musical hits. And if you've seen the Chuck Jones's cartoon version, "The Rabbit of Seville" starring Bugs Bunny and Elmer Fudd, it's hard not to smile at the destruction of a vegetable cart by a larger-than-life anvil at the end of Act I.

What you don't have in the opera house are popcorn, nachos and hot dogs. They're de rigueur in the movie house. Furthermore, some people pack lunches; you'll see them dining at intermission on sandwiches, pickles and apple slices, slaking their thirst with drinks from mason jars. In our experience, flouting the rules against outside food is tolerated; at $22 or more per ticket, theater managers seem willing to look the other way.

Some cinemas make a point of embracing the opera audience. Back when the Block E movie house was still in business in downtown Minneapolis, the manager would set up a table with printed cast lists, a bowl of peanut M&Ms, and — for the sad operas like La traviata — a box of tissues. ("What did you expect from an opera — a happy ending?")

Intermissions are a special treat in the movie theater for opera fans wanting a look behind the gold curtain. During Saturday's transmission, host Deborah Voigt, the soprano, interviewed stars Isabel Leonard and Lawrence Brownlee, still breathless from the scene that just ended. We met Sir Gabriel, a donkey and a seasoned Met animal actor who loves mints. Members of Local One, the stagehands' union, moved scenery to and fro. The painter touched up nicks and scuffs. Everything must be perfect.

We visited a rehearsal space three levels down from the stage, where Broadway and opera star Kelli O'Hara was singing and leading a troupe of dancers in leotards. They were preparing for January's Met production of The Merry Widow, starring Renée Fleming. (The popularity of Broadway shows is not lost on opera managers, and you can see the influence in many new productions.)

Back in the theater lobby there is camaraderie among the regulars. Some pulled out phones and called friends attending the telecast in other cities. Since the production unfolds in real time, there are no time-zone differences to interfere with the shared experience. It's a global community comprising 69 countries this season.

Now that the Met's "Live in HD" program has proven successful, other arts organizations have taken notice. In theaters and on the Internet, you can see productions from La Scala in Milan, from the Royal Opera House in London and from Glyndebourne in East Sussex. And it's not just opera; ballet, Broadway shows, and even painting exhibitions (I kid you not) are shown in movie theaters today.

The "Live in HD" series is a great opportunity to try opera without the expense of cross-country travel. And such exposure can benefit local opera companies as well. Our enchantment with the Met — and a half-price special offer — encouraged me and my spouse to buy season tickets to the excellent Minnesota Opera several years ago, and we've been subscribers ever since. It's fun to flip through the pages of Opera News magazine and read reviews from New York, Chicago, San Francisco, London, Paris, and, yes, St. Paul.

Opera may be an acquired taste but, once acquired, it can be impossible to resist. You might find yourself poring over The New York Times' Arts section and adding trips to Chicago, New York, or Covent Garden to your bucket list.

You have been warned.

If you go: Arrive early. Depending on the theater, popular operas can sell out. "Barber" nearly filled two auditoriums at the St. Louis Park cinema.

Enter for a chance to win tickets to Met Opera HD Cinecasts

Three Metro Area cinemas — the Showplace ICON at the West End, the Rosedale 14 and the Eden Prairie 18 — are offering season tickets to the 2014-15 season of the Met Opera in HD. Enter below for a chance to win. Winners will be drawn at random; be sure to enter by noon on Monday, Dec. 8, 2014.

You must be age 13 or older to submit any information to American Public Media Group and age 13 or older to be eligible for this giveaway. Any personally identifying information you provide will not be sold, shared. See American Public Media Group Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

This giveaway is subject to our 2014 Official Giveaway Rules.

Classical MPR's 2014-15 broadcast season of the Metropolitan Opera begins Saturday, Dec. 6, at 11 a.m., with a live matinee performance of The Barber of Seville.

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