When people think of George Frederic Handel, the triumphant chords of his "Messiah" are part of the usual soundtrack that accompanies such thoughts. But Handel also has a couple operas under his belt. Agrippina is his most-loved opera, in particular because of its clever libretto. The Boston Lyric Opera performed the antics of the villainous queen and her crazy thirst for power at the Shubert Theatre last week with much humor and enthusiasm.

Agrippina tells of one queen's attempt to overthrow the emperor and place her own son on the throne. The title's namesake, Agrippina (Caroline Worra), is the beautiful but manipulative empress of the Roman Empire who waits at the palace while her husband, Claudio (Christian Van Horn), is away at sea.

The opera begins with Agrippina reading news from abroad: Claudio is dead. She and her son, Nerone (David Trudgen), plot to win the hearts of the citizens and crown Nerone emperor, though he is Agrippina's son from a previous marriage and not eligible for the throne at all. But just as Nerone is about to be crowned, more news comes from abroad: Claudio is not dead.

He has been saved by a man named Ottone (Anthony Roth Costanzo), whom Claudio has named his successor. After a sly conversation with Ottone, Claudio reveals to her that he would give up the throne in order to be with Poppea (Kathleen Kim). This causes Agrippina to set her plans in motion. A whirlwind of deceit, infidelity, lies, humor and a power trip that could be considered madness ensues.

The BLO's production of this tale of deceit is lifted from the New York City Opera's recent reworking of the classic story. The sets were simple but striking, and the stage was minimalistic; most of the props and the background flats were white.

Despite the modern staging and the costuming of the characters-reminiscent of the high society of the '40s-there were still hints of the past era presented in the costumes of the show's supernumeraries.

In contrast to the generally minimalistic visuals was Handel's florid and quintessentially baroque music. Played with supertight control and accuracy by the BLO Orchestra, the music instruments from the baroque era, such as the harpsichord and theorbo, a long-necked string instrument.

The vocals were equally precise. The singers mastered the long- and fast-paced runs and trills so quintessentially Handel with practiced ease. But the most memorable performer of the night was not one of the singers who flew through the scales; Costanzo is a gem who can both act and sing.

Ottone is the only true and stalwart character in the slew of cheaters and liars. A hopeless Romeo, his aria of grief is the most moving moment of a show that, at its heart, is darkly farcical and humorous. Also, Costanzo is of a rare breed of male singer-the elusive countertenor. His beautiful and gentle voice floats up the registers and brings out the ethereal in Handel's score.

Agrippina is very funny and relatable in this new revival and has moments of great beauty. But I suggest Agrippina for the hardier of opera-goers and perhaps the truest of Handel lovers.

Three acts is a marathon for any type of performance, and Handel's typical style is to highlight the accuracy and vocal ability of the singer, not to move the story along. The scenes are punctuated by hilarity, followed by a lengthy aria, hilarity, aria, etc. Though the BLO strikes the balance between humor and beauty well, making the most out of the funniest scenes as well as the extensive musical oratorios, it is not for the weak of constitution.

Agrippina is playing at the Shubert Theatre in Boston until March 22.