CEDAR FALLS -- Humorist Dave Barry once said he would "rather undergo a vasectomy via Weed Whacker" than attend an opera.

Ouch.

His idea of opera probably involves that big-bosomed woman wearing a breastplate and yarn braids beneath a horned helmet striding across stage to Richard Wagner's "Ride of the Valkyries." Opera virgins, of course, also may recognize the tune from the famous helicopter scene in the movie "Apocalypse Now."

But opera ain't over, whether or not the fat lady sings.

Opera is cool.

"Opera is thriving. What makes it exciting is a new theatrical approach. Most of the music is centuries old and the stories are still dramatic or humorous, but the old-fashioned style of wooden acting is gone, out the door," said Sandra Walden, voice professor at the University of Northern Iowa School of Music and director of the UNI Lyric Opera.

Opera fans and novices can get a taste of today's opera at "Six Chairs in Search of an Opera," a series of opera scenes Walden is directing, featuring student performers. The event is at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday. Admission is free.

The performance is in Bengston Auditorium at the newly remodeled Russell Hall on the UNI campus. Scenes from Mozart's "The Marriage of Figaro" and "Cosi fan tutte," as well as "Bastien and Bastienne," written when Mozart was 12 years old, will be performed. Other scenes include Poulenc's "Dialogues of the Carmelites" and Puccini's "La Boheme." Most songs will be sung in English. Singers' costumes recall the 1950s, not the 1750s.

"Going to shows of all types, from all historical periods, listening to recordings, watching videos and comparing different productions of the same work. ï½ The 'opera scenes' type of production that Professor Walden is planning is a terrific introduction to the genre," said UNI musicologist Melinda Boyd.

Opera is shaking off its high-brow reputation. Call it a return-to-roots movement, because in earlier centuries, people went to the opera the same way we go to movies and concerts.

Pop culture liberally borrows from opera, so you've got a few tunes already rattling around your head. In TV commercials, Red Bull and Pampers have used "Ride of the Valkyries"; Ragu Pasta Sauce, Verdi's Anvil chorus from "La Traviata"; Bertolli Italian products, Habanera from "Carmen;" K9 Advantix flea powder and Ponchielli's "La Gioconda" are just a few, Walden said.

And who could forget "No more Rice Krispies! We are out of Rice Krispies!" sung to the clown aria from "Pagliacci?"

What's not to enjoy? Operas are filled with passion, revenge, betrayal, comedy and tragedy. "Colorful sets and costumes, insightful characterizations, fascinating and often melodramatic stories, dance, fine acting, over and through it all, magnificent, unforgettable, powerful music, both vocal and instrumental. As a critic I look for the ways in which the composer and performers make this all come together … as a single great work of art," said Courier music critic George F. Day.

Fabled bass Simon Estes has performed 102 roles, and it's nearly impossible for him to pick a favorite. His signature role is Richard Wagner's "The Flying Dutchman," and his portrayal of Wotan in Wagner's "Der Ring des Nibelungen" received glowing reviews.

He describes opera as "all-encompassing," involving theater, music, voice and the full range of emotions.

"If you pin me down, I can't just give one," said Estes, distinguished professor in residence at Waverly's Wartburg College. "But Verdi's 'Aida' is famous all over the world, even among people who don't go to the opera. They've heard the melodies and they like the story about Ethiopians and Egyptians, power, romance and triumphant scenes."

To better understand opera works, read the story or libretto, which tells who is doing what to whom; attend a pre-show talk; or listen to a recording before settling into a theater seat. Opera may be sung in Italian, French, German, Russian and English. Super titles provide translations, but can be distracting.

"Don't be intimidated by the language," said John Hines, a bass and UNI assistant professor of voice. "A good opera performance will be one where the meaning of the words are conveyed effectively without your needing to be fluent in the language."

Go & do

What: "Six Chairs in Search of an Opera," UNI Lyric Opera

When: 7:30 p.m. Tuesday

Where: Bengston Auditorium, Russell Hall, University of Northern Iowa campus, Cedar Falls

Details: Admission is free