Editor’s Note: Every Tuesday, James Parker tackles a reader’s existential worry. He wants to hear about what’s ailing, torturing, or nagging you. Submit your lifelong or in-the-moment problems to ...

A costume sketch for the character Moore from “The Dragon of Wantley” by Seth Bodie, costume designer. Poking fun at the lofty conventions of opera is a practice that’s almost as old as opera itself.

Again and again, we call on the arts to add a little sparkle to our mundane existence. Although opera has a reputation for being conservative, traditional and only appreciated by a very loyal and ...