The last Tosca here was in 2004. Considering that Tosca is The Show That Build SFOpera, with 12 runs over in the first 18 years of the company, and since only twice in history has a Tosca black-out lasted more than five years, we were so due. Last night, the umpteenth run opened, and it proved why it's such a fan favorite: when it's done competently, it's as pleasing as it gets.

Now, don't get our word for it, and go get yourself a free ticket for the free Opera at the Ballpark! You can see, this Friday at 8pm, rain or shine, the opera on a giant hi-def screen while munching on garlic fries, in the retro-cute stadium that you did not know you subsidized.