Opera performance used to be extremely populist with the houselights up and people either reading the libretto along with the show or walking around during the performance to talk to their friends. Wagner got the process of sanctification started by insisting that the houselights be down during the performance (and the orchestra hidden in a ‘pit’).
And once sanctification starts you lose the masses. The masses don’t like having to dress up just to go sit in the dark. Maybe some of the theaters should start having “no tie” nights, get the “ra” back in “opera”, something to eject the stodgy atmosphere, and the people that like it, get the t-shirt crowd. The t-shirt crowd is willing to sit through Queensryche playing all of Operation Mindcrime, or Pink Floyd playing The Wall, or The Who playing Tommy or Quadrophenia, they actually can handle the big long musical story thing so long as they can dress comfortably.