When you see a production such as this, it is easy to understand why it is, and will always remain, among the most popular operas. This is the opera to take a friend who has never been to an opera or who says he or she hates opera. Most will be moved by what they see, hear and feel. (If not, a heart transplant might be in order.) The between-act features provide a close-up view of the logistics involved in shifting the sets and putting hundreds of extras in place for the street scene in Act 2.