Ah, love. There's nothing like it, especially the painfully unrequited kind. If you've ever found yourself in the position of coveting someone who didn't return the sentiment, you very well may have asked yourself, "Could adulation come as easily as chugging a dose of magical love potion?" Donizetti's Elixir of Love explores the possibility of this quixotic query through the tale of Nemorino, a hopeless romantic who falls madly in love with the coquettish and unattainable Adina. When a quack doctor comes to town peddling pipe dreams and hocus-pocus, Nemorino's world is turned upside down after ingesting a supernatural love concoction purchased out of desperation. Comedy and opera collide with a fully staged orchestra and emotionally evocative arias performed by the St. Petersburg Opera Company and FloriMezzo Orchestra. Sung in Italian with English subtitles. Dec. 28 and 30, 7:30 p.m. Fri., 2 p.m. Sun., Palladium Theater, 253 Fifth Ave. N., St. Petersburg, $18.50-$70, 727-822-3590, mypalladium.org.
