Mozart rendered as a 1950s Coney Island carnival

Like any other art form, when opera is at its best, it can be riveting. And New York's Metropolitan Opera is among the world's finest.

Which is why we're lucky that The Met's production of "Così Fan Tutte" will be playing in a pair of area theaters on Saturday and the following Wednesday. The live production will begin at 9:55 a.m. Saturday at the Regal Cinemas theaters at Northtown Mall and Coeur d'Alene's Riverstone Stadium.

Two Wednesday productions will begin at 1 and 6 p.m.

"Così Fan Tutte" (also known as "Così Fan Tutti") was written by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and first performed in 1790 in Vienna. The Met production, staged by Phelim McDermott, is "set in a carnival-esque, funhouse environment inspired by 1950s Coney Island — complete with bearded ladies, fire eaters, and a Ferris wheel."

Among the cast are Christopher Maltman as Don Alfonso and Tony Award–winner Kelli O’Hara as Despina, with Amanda Majeski, Serena Malfi, Ben Bliss and Adam Plachetka.

As New York Times critic Anthony Tommasini wrote, "Working with the set designer Tom Pye, Mr. McDermott zaps the story from 18th-century Naples to an amusement park in mid-20th-century Brooklyn, where, at least for a while, life becomes a carnival; where everyday codes of behavior don’t apply; and where you are continually confronted by strange figures, including sideshow performers."

A carnival atmosphere onscreen, complete with sideshow-performing singers. How could you resist?