With their lost-little-boy voices, castrati were the superstars of 18th-century opera. Uncomfortable fact: They could get erections, and often did — their fame made them highly sought-after love bugs. Mexican theater company Teatro de Ciertos Habitantes tells their story with the opera Monsters and Prodigies: A History of the Castrati, and it does so with a magnificent thrust, mixing history with gossip, clowning, comedy, and a food fight. Though it is an opera, Monsters and Prodigies is also a lampoon of one, perfect for those who rarely find anything funny about opera, not to mention the castration of children. Teatro also brought a horse onstage for its New York shows, so you know the company understands entertainment.
Feb. 5-7, 8 p.m., 2009
