Opera, as solid a cultural pillar as there is, is often sadly inaccessible to the general public (those high production costs lead to equally high ticket prices). To fill this gap (and perhaps try to undercut opera’s snooty image), several opera companies have been taking the music to the masses in the form of live simulcasts — but never before on the scale of New York’s Metropolitan Opera, which is sending Roméo et Juliette all the way to Houston and beyond. A broadcast of Gounod’s “ultrasensual” operatic retelling of Shakespeare’s tragic romance will screen today and tomorrow at several movie theaters in the Houston area, including venues inside the Loop, in Katy, Webster and Spring. The opera, conducted by Plácido Domingo, will be broadcast live today. Tomorrow’s broadcast is taped. For a full schedule and list of locations, call 212-362-6000 or visit www.fathomevents.com. $15 to $22.

Sat., Dec. 15, 2007

This article appears in Dec 13-19, 2007.