Can opera hold the same power and intimacy of a well-made play?

Opera composer Jake Heggie thinks so.

He believes his latest work, the chamber opera "Three Decembers," is a telling example.

The two-act opera, which will be performed at Zellerbach Hall, on the UC Berkeley campus from Thursday through Sunday, is based by Heggie on a short play by Terrence McNally.

(McNally is known for "Master Class," about Maria Callas, and "Frankie and Johnny in the Claire de Lune.")

Heggie, who boldly made a name for himself in the opera world in 2000 with "Dead Man Walking," has crafted an intimate family tale with "Three Decembers."

The work, with a libretto by Gene Scheer, stars mezzo- soprano Frederica von Stade, baritone Keith Phares and soprano Kristin Clayton.

The story of "Three Decembers," originally titled "Last Acts," is constructed over a three-decade period in which the troubled relationships between a famous actress and her two adult children become much grist for the dramatic mill.

The opera is topical in that the son is an openly gay man whose lover is dying of AIDS. This is juxtaposed against a daughter who is dealing with her own trials as she slips into the arena of the depressed.

That's a pretty tight and melodramatic focus for an opera. And though such themes have been tackled on a grand operatic scale, it seems fitting material for the chamber opera format.

And for Heggie, keeping a strong dramatic thread throughout is key.

"This opera, it's like music theater," said Heggie, calling from from his home in San Francisco's Castro District.

"There has always been a theatrical element to everything I do."

The work combines operatic ensemble singing with Broadway-style solo singing, and is orchestrated for a 10-piece ensemble that calls for two pianists.

"This is an art form that I love because it is intimate and yet you are dealing with this huge emotional scale," Heggie said.

Heggie was drawn to McNally's play because of its ingenious structure, which reveals the evolving relationships between mother and siblings against a trinity of evolving decades.

"Themes that involve parents and children have always fascinated me," said Heggie. "They are themes I revisit over and over."

The familial theme is one that also appeals to San Francisco Opera general director David Gockley.

"The struggle to come to grips of family relationships in a modern world. … These are issues we all face," said Gockley.

In co-producing "Three Decembers" with Cal Performances and the Houston Grand Opera, Gockley said he was eager to bring the chamber opera to the company.

Gockley said chamber operas like "Three Decembers" hold much promise for an opera company. The works are not only inexpensive to produce, they also give the company an opportunity to bring new and younger audiences into the San Francisco Opera fold.

The simple focus is one that Heggie believes will appeal to younger audiences, too. The lack of visual clutter and the English libretto is something Heggie feels will interest those who usually do not attend opera.

"Even if audiences don't get the music or understand what's going on musically, there is a story going on that can be followed," he said.

But finding the right venue for such operas is a challenge. To date, Gockley has not found the appropriate venue in San Francisco, nor does he think the large Zellerbach Hall across the bay in Berkeley is ideal for chamber works.

For Heggie, a major impetus for pursuing an adaptation of McNally's play "Some Christmas Letters" was his burning desire to write something for von Stade, whom he counts as a close friend.

"I knew the minute I read the play that it was going to be the sort of theater piece that I wanted Flicka (Frederica von Stade) in."

And there was a further impetus, since the crucial role of Madeline will likely be one of the last operatic roles for the 63-year-old von Stade.

The Alameda-based mezzo has been a quasi-muse for Heggie ever since he was a music student at UCLA in the 1990s. And she has been a catalyst for his career. It was von Stade's championing of Heggie's songs that allowed then-San Francisco Opera general director Lotfi Mansouri to take a chance on Heggie as the company's first composer-in- residence in 1995.

Von Stade was cast in the premiere of "Dead Man Walking." And Heggie has continued writing works for her since.

"Her voice has this combination of strength and vulnerability," said Heggie. "There is this magic to the sound. It doesn't sound like any other voice; it has this real heart-throb in it."

Despite his affinity for the intimacy and visceral appeal for the chamber opera, Heggie is far from staking claim on the format.

His newest work, still being written, is an opera based on Herman Melville's formidable novel "Moby Dick." That project is a co-commission between the San Francisco Opera and the Dallas and San Diego opera companies. The Dallas premiere will be in 2010, and it will open in San Francisco 1 1/2 years later.

"It's a vast landscape that requires large forces," said Heggie of this latest project. The work is scored for a large orchestra, a big chorus, and eight solo parts. But he believes his approach to the large work differs little from how he is handling the dramatic intimacy of "Three Decembers."

"I believe in big gestures, whether it be in a chamber opera or a full-scale opera."

Call arts critic Edward Ortiz at (916) 321-1071.