It’s the classic story of a courtesan who falls in love, a simple act that flies in the face of society’s conventions — but what would happen if you took the sex work out of the opera “La Traviata?” That is exactly what happened as “La Traviata” grew in popularity, appearing in more and more theaters as the 19th century progressed. Government censors and theater owners had to confront its narrative of prostitution and stigma — topics not everyone was equally comfortable with. “La Traviata” chronicles the final days of Violetta Valéry, a fictionalized version of a real-life courtesan, as she tries to leave her profession behind for a life of love. But her past is never far behind — and it threatens to taint the honor of her lover’s family, or so she’s told. Such a story was deemed too scandalous for the stage of the Teatro Apollo in Rome, and in 1854, a production there was amended to recast Violetta as something less scandalous. Instead of a courtesan, Violetta would be a wealthy orphan, whose life of misery had closed her heart to love. And some of her trademark music — including “Sempre Libera” or “Always Free” — was rewritten to emphasize her innocence. This and similar efforts left the opera’s composer, Giuseppe Verdi, incensed. Verdi fumed to his friend Vincenzo Luccardi: “The censor has ruined the meaning of the drama. He has made la Traviata pure and innocent. Many thanks! Thus he has ruined all the situations, all the characters. A whore must always be a whore. If the sun shone at night, there would be no more night. In short, they don’t understand anything.” Ready to experience the real deal? “La Traviata” comes to the San Francisco Opera as part of its centennial season this fall: sfopera.com/traviata (📸: Cory Weaver, featuring Nicole Cabell)