Salome

You may not feel much like helping out the New York City economy right now (seeing as how your tax dollars are already doing that), but there's still reason to support one of its finest cultural institutions - the Metropolitan Opera, which today transmits a performance of Salome live and in high definition to local movie screens. Richard Strauss's opera, inspired by one of the more graphic accounts in the New Testament, revolves around the young princess Salome, King Herod's stepdaughter, who becomes smitten with Herod's prisoner Jochanaan, a prophet of Christ. Star Karita Mattila got raves for her 2004 performance as Salome - especially for the seductive dance she does for Herod, which ends up convincing him to cut off Jochanaan's head and give it to her. Sung in German with English subtitles, Salome is just over an hour and a half long, leaving time for a double feature. Noon. Houston Marq*E Stadium 22, 7620 Katy Freeway. For more locations, call 713-263-7843 or visit www.metoperafamily.org. $24.
Sat., Oct. 11, noon, 2008