If there's one sector of the performing arts that gets a bad rap, it's opera.

Right?

On a scale of one to 10, the excitability factor associated with going to see an opera hovers somewhere around 2.3.

On a good day.

So why even bother bringing it up? Because when we think opera we think ... chicken skin. All that beauty, drama and spectacle. All those big voices, captivating stories, fantastical characters. It's like a Disney movie for grown-ups with grown-up taste.

"Who doesn't love a great Domingo, or the sound of Pavarotti's voice?" said Leann Sandel-Pantaleo, who plays the title role in Hawaii Opera Theatre's upcoming production of "Carmen." "But then again, it's not for everyone. It's an acquired taste."

We'll concede that opera might be an acquired taste, but all that means is that if you don't have it, you can get it.

And if ever there was an opera for the unsure and uninitiated, it's the crowd-pleasing "Carmen," whose title character is a wildly passionate gypsy woman who lives, loves, works and plays hard.

The three showings of "Carmen" this weekend mark the close of the HOT season. We wish it could have been the first of the season, mainly because it is such a good primer for non-opera and opera fans.

So consider this your final chance of the season to whet your opera appetite and fall in love with the art.

It could happen, and we can help. We'll walk you through it, and by the time we're done, you'll be singing "Habanera" in your best mezzo soprano.

CARMEN,' CONDENSED

Author: French writer Georges Bizet

Its world premiere: "Carmen" premiered in Paris on Oct. 3, 1875, to poor reviews. Today, "Carmen" is the fourth-most performed opera in North America.

The setting: "Carmen" is set in Seville, Spain, in 1830, though Bizet never visited Spain.

The story: Leading lady Carmen, a beautiful Gypsy woman ruled by her passion for life and love, and hindered by her fatalistic and hedonistic tendencies, woos Corporal Don Jose, and he falls hard.

Their relationship eventually leads to Jose abandoning his former lover, engaging in a mutiny against his superior and joining a gang of smugglers.

Carmen ends up leaving Jose for a bullfighter named Escamillo, and in a fit of jealous rage — spoiler alert! — he stabs Carmen to death.

The end.

A CHARACTER GUIDE

Carmen — Mezzo-soprano Leann Sandel-Pantaleo plays Carmen. She makes her HOT debut with this role.

"I am in love with Carmen," she said. "She's so earthy, and I can identify with the sassy part of her."

Don Jose — Tenor Richard Crawley plays the Corporal Don Jose, whose temperament is ill-suited to Carmen's, but he's enamored of her nonetheless. He expects her to be faithful and well-mannered. He foolishly thinks she belongs to him, and that he can offer her redemption.

Escamillo — Bass-baritone Kelly Anderson plays bullfighter Escamillo, Carmen's other lover.

Micaela — Soprano Donita Volkwijn plays village maiden Micaela. Micaela is everything Carmen is not - she's demure and sensitive, and at times fragile and vulnerable.

OPERA DOS AND DON'TS

Do download the music for the opera before you go. A quick online search yields a number of results for the music of "Carmen." You might not really know what you're in for, but at least you'll have some idea of what you'll be hearing. And you might be surprised to find that you already know much of the music, thanks to years of watching figure skating.

Don't worry about not understanding what the cast is singing and saying. "Carmen" is in French, but there will be supertitles displayed on a large screen above the stage, so there's no guesswork involved at all.

Do dress appropriately. There's no need to bust out a tux and gown, but leave the jeans at home.

Don't forget to have fun. It's the opera, not detention. The idea that you have to be uptight and stiff at the opera is outdated. Laugh, cry, clap.

Do let yourself be carried away by the fantasy of it all. Opera requires full surrender. Get lost in the music, the costumes, the big hair, the drama.

Don't worry if you miss something. It's impossible to catch everything, and the actors and director and everyone else involved know it. What you miss in a supertitle is made up for in the acting, and vice-versa. Enjoying the opera doesn't require David Lynch-style concentration. We promise.