“The composer-critic Deems Taylor called the City Center Opera ‘democracy in action, a democracy realizing the work of the individual.’ Tickets started at eighty-five cents—nine and a half dollars, in today’s currency—and topped out at $2.20. These days, you have to pay quite a bit more to get through the doors of what LaGuardia dubbed ‘the people’s opera company.’ Tickets go up to a hundred and twenty dollars, which is more than most orchestra seats for ‘Spamalot.’ Don’t blame City Opera for falling short of its populist mission…”