A 12-year-old boy named Andy dreams of being a music conductor after seeing Leonard Bernstein direct a concert on television. Two years later, Andy sees his first opera, “The Marriage of Figaro,” on a small black and white TV in his room, and thinks, “That’s what I want to do.”

A young woman named Emily takes voice lessons at West Texas State, but vows not to “sing opera crap.” She doesn’t realize until it’s too late, that some of the art songs her voice teacher is giving her are from operas. Although she keeps toying with English literature as a major, she is drawn more and more toward singing and opera.

A father tells his son Jason, “No one ever put food on the table by singing,” so Jason tries to develop an interest in graphic design or psychology. Jason studies music on the side, discovers he has “this gift,” and finds he can’t ignore his growing passion for song.

Fast forward to March, 2013. Mobile Opera’s artistic director, Andy Anderson, is conducting a rehearsal of Puccini’s “La Fanciulla del West” (pronounced “Lah Fan-choo-lah). The rehearsal hall resounds with the thrilling high notes of soprano Emily Pulley in the role of Minnie, and the passionate responses of tenor Jason Wickson, portraying Dick Johnson, a.k.a. the bandit Ramerrez, who came to steal gold but steals Minnie‘s heart instead.

Andy, Emily, and Jason share a passion for opera which is contagious. Stage director John Hoomes and baritone Mark Walters suffer the same affliction. These five artists gathered for a group interview with Gulf Coast Newspapers between rehearsals in downtown Mobile. They spoke of their love affair with opera the way some people discuss football or their Mom’s fried chicken — they want everyone to catch their fervor.

“La Fanciulla del West” opens Friday, March 22 at Mobile Civic Center Theater and continues on Sunday afternoon, March 24. It is not performed by opera companies as often as Puccini‘s other greats such as “Tosca,” “Madame Butterfly” or “Turandot.” The gathered artists reflected on why that is.

Hoomes shared his theory, “It’s incredibly hard to do — musically and dramatically. It’s not a “park and bark” opera, where you walk up to your spot and sing an aria. It’s an intricate, nuanced matter — it’s a real challenge. There are a ton of small roles, and they all have to be good.”

There are 18 named characters in “La Fanciulla,” as well as a male chorus.

Furthermore, added Anderson, “Because the show is a huge show — it’s very expensive to produce. Secondly, it’s not a fluff piece, where you forget all about it later. It’s a psychological drama that gets under your skin. Sometimes people don’t want to have to think at the theater, they only want to be entertained.”

This opera had its world premier at New York’s Metropolitan Opera in 1910, to audiences who expected it to be “an American opera” because it was set in the Gold Rush of California. It features a saloon, sheriff, bandits, miners, a love triangle, gunfire, barroom brawls and a threatened hanging. Yet Puccini is quoted as crying, “American opera! This is no American opera; it is pure Italian opera.”

The American vs. Italian dichotomy may be one reason “La Fanciulla” has not been staged frequently. Wickson explained, “People may think, ‘They’re singing Italian in the Wild West, it must be corny’ — and it can be, when it’s not done well.”

Hoomes agreed.

“People see it as a western — a spaghetti western, at that — and they trivialize it; they don’t take it seriously.”

Serious opera goers will flock to see and hear “La Fanciulla” because it’s opera, it’s Puccini, and it’s the dependably excellent Mobile Opera.

What about those who shy away from opera, or even call it “elitist,” not for the general public? What does one say to them?

Baritone Mark Walters would say, “They haven’t seen one.”

Hoomes agrees.

“Opera suffers from a misconception, that it has nothing to do with me, or that it will make me seem stupid. Reach out and de-mystify opera — get people into the seats to experience it — then they’re blown away by what they see and hear.”

“La Fanciulla del West” will be performed at 8 p.m. Friday, March 22 and 2:30 p.m. Sunday, March 24, at Mobile’s Civic Center Theater. Tickets are on sale from $20 to $60 and can be reserved by phoning Mobile Opera at 251-432-6772 or visiting www.mobileopera.org.