Andrew Gray, center, a bass baritone with Arizona Opera, performs with fellow company members, foreground of stage, from left, Tammi Huber, James Flora and John Fulton, far right. The troupe performed at St. Ambrose Elementary School as part of Arizona Opera School Tour, an outreach program exposing students to opera and allowing some to participate in the performance.

a.e. araiza / Arizona Daily Star

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Think of it as a highbrow "High School Musical" for the elementary and 'tween set.

About 200 students at St. Ambrose School were treated to a made-for-them mini-version of Gaetano Donizetti's "Elixir of Love" on Wednesday, compliments of the Arizona Opera.

It's part of Arizona Opera's School Tour, which kicked off this week in Tucson with the intent of exposing children to an art form they'd otherwise rarely encounter. The tour, which will hit 76 schools across the state from Yuma to the Navajo Nation, will culminate at the end of October.

With a recognition that opera might take a little easing into, there was a little rewriting of the production, which will be presented free to the general public on Friday at the Fox Theatre. It will be performed in its more traditional format as part of the opera's upcoming season.

Originally written in 1832 about a smitten man, his object of desire and a magic love potion that turns the nerdly into the studly, the kid version takes place in a fictional Arizona high school preparing for the homecoming dance.

Instead of Italian, the dominant language is English, with a smattering of Spanish.

Instead of 2 1/2 hours, it's closer to 1.

"It's not that we're thinking that all of these students will magically become Arizona Opera patrons in the future," said opera spokesman Colin Columna, "but at a time when so many schools are seeing their art and music budgets cut, this is a way to help make sure art is accessible to students."

For music teacher Alexis Burrows, it was a chance to share with students her own childhood experiences — her great-grandfather was an Italian opera singer who came to America for his craft and her mother played the violin in an opera orchestra.

"I want them to be worldly and not so closed-minded," she said. "I want them to get rid of the preconceived notion that opera is just a lot of noise."

The opera came to the school last year during the tour, with a bite-sized version of Mozart's "The Magic Flute," so most knew what to expect.

Nine-year-old Cesar Beltran, a third-grader, was looking a bit forlorn in his front-row seat.

"I don't like it that much," he said, surrounded by several third-grade peers who were all professed fans. "I think it's boring and there's a lot of loud singing."

That's OK, music teacher Burrows said, adding not all art forms will speak to everyone. But she wants students to think critically about art, instead of reacting at a gut level, which is why her middle school students took notes so they could write a mock newspaper review of the performance, evaluating the set and costumes and the singing abilities of the performers.

Eighth-grader Hannah Jo Ramirez said she particularly appreciated the singing and the costumes. "I like operas. You can be as creative as you want."

Her friend Gabby Campas agreed, saying she liked the different languages and the acting.

"Some people think it's boring, but some people use their imaginations and some don't."

Sixth-grader Cole Ronquillo, who has clearly been working on his vocabulary, has fond memories of last year's "Flute."

"I was so excited because I'd never seen an opera and it really empowered me because I like to sing," he said, adding he liked this version so much that he wants to see a full production next.

After the show, students peppered the performers with so many questions that the troupe ran out of time before members could get to all the hands.

Andrew Gray, a baritone who plays a gender-bending role as a high school girl as well as the snake-oil salesman who shops the potion around, said the upcoming weeks of touring while crowded into a 15-passenger van are worth it when he sees the reaction of the students.

Since this is his sixth tour, the 32-year-old Amphitheater High School graduate often encounters students who saw him previously, so he hears from the kids who decided to take up the oboe or to start singing lessons because they were inspired by the show.

And, he said, they're almost universally shocked to hear he's actually making a living at something fun like singing — or designing sets or costumes or playing an instrument.

"It makes it more accessible to them when they see that it can be done," he said.

As Gray spoke, a small girl passed, flashing two thumbs up.

"The best part is when you see a kid just go nuts over it," he said.

Zac Efron, no offense, but you're not all that.