At its heart, Golden Age, Terrence McNally's charming new play at the Manhattan Theater Club, is a passionate love story. Actually, it's several love stories, but what makes the play so appealing is the one between the playwright and the world of opera.

Will Bellini explaining he no longer writes because "I ran out of things to say" sate the on-lookers? How about the will-he-or-won't-he-do-it suspense of tenor Rubini's hitting that ground-breaking "Credeasi misera" high F?

Most creative talents have a professional bag of tricks they like to employ in the course of creating art. From alliteration to asymmetry, from pointilism to pizzicato, these gimmicks help startle an audience and add to an artist's personal style.

I was intrigued by Symmetry Theatre's claim that fewer good roles are written for women, I found myself wondering if people might not be aware of the variety of plays that do indeed have meaty roles for female characters.