La boheme

Synopsis

Puccini's most enduring opera. The story of the love of the poor poet Rodolfo for the consumptive seamstress Mimi. Set in the Latin Quarter of Paris the course of their love is constantly threatened by Rodolfo's jealousy and Mimi's illness. The painter Marcello and the provocative Musetta are the other main characters. This is where 'your tiny hand is frozen' comes from and the last few bars, as Rodolfo realises Mimi is dead, are some of opera's most moving moments.

Our Review:

Damian Robson - 2 March 2010

I was under the impression I had a seat at the Theatre Royal to see La Boheme, and yet I was transported to the cinema via an art gallery, as references to Jackson Pollock, Andy Warhol and Performance art were abundant.

The action of the La Boheme was performed in a frame, that represented a picture frame or a cinema screen, I think you could have changed your mind as the scenes changed, I overheard someone say, it’s almost like watching a television, and it was, it was a compliment.

So much of the space and the characters were staged and lit as if the production were scenes from a film. Particularly in the cafe scenes in Act 2, when the stage was almost a split screen, the cafe on one side and the street scene on the other, and we had close ups, and long shots! The cast and stage hands making it seem effortless.

While the cinema and film references were used to dramatic effect, a moment of pure stage theatricality was during the sublime duet between Rodolfo...

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