My good friend Matthew Bissett directed Elixir of Love, a Donizetti opera playing at the very groovy Shadbolt Centre in Burnaby. Opera isn’t my bag (nor my purse, my valise or my sac a main), but I watched a preview and was, relatively speaking, entertained. Matthew’s a creative and gifted director, and has set the opera on a cactus farm in Texas. This makes for some gun-toting western humour and plenty of chaps (both the singing lads and the leggings).
I also notice that my former classmate TJ Dawe performed at the Shadbolt Centre in late January.
DarrenBarefoot.com 
I’ve seen the traditional version of the opera, and it is one of the most accessible (in terms of story and melody) that I’ve seen yet. From what I hear, the artistic directors for the Shadbolt production have taken quite a few liberties in the staging of it (it now takes place in New Mexico!), but I can’t decide if that would improve the experience for an opera novice.
Anyway, it’s probably worth seeing. I think the tickets are fairly cheap too, at least compared to the $80 seats for the Vancouver Opera.