Oh. So now the opera's looking to get itself some religion. Lots of it. Last year, recall, it got a crowd of prisoners to fill the ranks of supernumeraries, the non-singing extras who fill up the stage and make grand opera all that much grander. This year it wants priests. And a heck of a lot more. Enough more to have the staff a bit nervous about filling the bill.

        First off, it needs six men, “mature enough to pass for church elders,” says Julie Maslov in Cincinnati Opera's marketing department. “Nic (Muni, artistic director) wants real priests, ministers or rabbis because that's what they'll be playing in Nabucco, and he likes to be authentic.”

        Taren Frazier is the coordinator in charge of finding them, and he expects to be ringing his hands any minute now. And not just because of clergy.

        He also needs five adults or older teens under 5-feet tall and with reasonably good movement skills for the Maurice Sendak-designed production of Magic Flute. It gets worse: Four really buff guys to go topless in Nabucco, plus 15 more men in reasonably good shape to play soldiers in the same show.

        And if that's not enough to make Frazier just a wee bit batty, he also needs eight male and 11 female children for Nabucco, 10 Asian or Asian-American children, 14 women and 10 men, same racial makeup, for Madame Butterfly. Oh, and an Asian or Asian-American child who can pass for a 3-year-old boy.

        “It's going to be a little bit difficult because we need so many and such specific types,” Maslov says.

        Which leaves the opera nothing to do but stage a gigantic casting call. Which it does at 7 p.m. April 30. Call Frazier at 744-3435 to sign up.

        And don't worry, they won't make you sing. Muni, in fact, has been known to threaten to tie people's tongues in a knot if they even hum, let alone try to nail a high C.

        Photo op: The opera isn't the only one wringing hands and looking for help. Margaret Clary, receptionist at Firstar Center, is at wit's end.

        Turns out some family, no idea who, took the kids to Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus last month and had one of those souvenir photos taken. The kind doting grandparents always have shot when they take the kids somewhere.

        Problem is, they left it on a seat at circus' end.

        A Firstar staffer found it and gave it to Clary and said give it back.

        Yeah, right. To whom?

        So now she's on a mission to find the owners: “I know they would love to have it back. At least, I know I would,” she says.

        So here's the photo. Two little boys riding atop fake tigers.

        Know them? Call Clary at 421-PUCK (7825).

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