By Lora Oehlberg

Despite arguments that contemporary audiences have become too accustomed to violence in media, Puccini’s passionate opera “Tosca” will undoubtedly stand out - regardless of the generation gap - due to its depiction of corruption, torture and death.

“In Tosca we see a man stabbed to death on stage, but what happens offstage, that makes it a little bit difficult for a contemporary audience where you have movies … where violence is almost casual,” said Ken Tigar, stage director for West Bay Opera’s “Tosca,” which concludes this weekend at Palo Alto’s Lucie Stern Theater.

“We’re very immune to violence, it’s easy for us to watch, since there’s violence all over the place. The one grand act of violence in Tosca may not necessarily shock a modern audience the way it would Puccini’s audience.”

Even for Puccini’s audience, however, Tosca’s setting requires a dangerous and violent atmosphere. The opera is set in Rome, and all characters are swept up in the political turmoil and corruption following Napoleon’s occupation.

Tosca (played by Tracy Salifiendic and Julie Kierstine) is pursued by Scarpia (Michael Morris, Scott Bearden), the local baron for amorous and political reasons. Tosca’s lover Carvaradossi (Gabriel Reoyo-Pazos, Kenneth Morris) knows the location of the political prisoner Angelotti (Daniel Morris), whom Scarpia wishes to capture and destroy.

“Of all the villains I’ve played, I’d say Scarpia’s the most realistic. He’s a real man, he’s evil incarnate and has tremendous desires and tremendous appetites, he is real,” Michael Morris said.

Tosca, an empathetic character inspired by actress Sarah Bernhardt, counters Scarpia’s realistic villainy. Tosca constantly make decisions on how to best defend herself and her lover.

“This is a story of a woman in a desperate situation and the thing I ask myself is, ‘What would I do if it were me?’” Salifiendic said, “What would I do to save my husband’s life, or my daughter’s?”

Said Tigar, “Tosca remains true to her principle of love, she fights tyranny to stay true to that principle. Unfortunately we’re going to be faced with some difficult choices in our lives, and we’re going to have to be careful with holding to what our principals are and holding strong to those principles.”

“Tosca” (in Italian with English supertitles) will be performed at 8 p.m., Friday and Saturday; 2 p.m., Sunday.

Tickets are $38; $19 for those under 18 for matinees.

For tickets and more information, call 424-9999.