by Roseann Cane
Today one of the most frequently performed operas in the world, La Bohème premiered in 1896 in Turin, conducted by the 28-year-old Arturo Toscanini. Set in Latin Quarter of Paris in the 1830s, it focuses on four young, impoverished bohemian artists, Marcello, a painter (baritone Benjamin Taylor); Rudolfo, a poet (tenor Yongzhao Yu); Mimi, a seamstress (soprano Whitney Morrison); and Musetta, a singer (soprano Véronique Filloux).
Marcello and Rudolfo share a small apartment with a philosopher named Colline (bass Evan Lazdowski) and a musician, Schaunard (baritone Ethan Vincent). On a frosty Christmas Eve, the four young men, unable to afford even firewood, burn one of Rudolfo’s manuscripts for warmth. Schaunard reveals that he’s earned some money working for an Englishman, and the happy friends decide to dine out at a cafe. As they prepare to leave, Rudolfo decides to stay in the apartment for a while longer to finish writing an article. He hears a knock at the door, and he opens it to find his neighbor Mimi, asking for a light for her candle. Inside, Mimi nearly faints, dropping her room key, and as she and Rudolfo search for it in the dark, their hands touch. They realize they have fallen in love.
Although many critics over the years have dismissed La Bohème as unsophisticated and unmemorable, its popularity has continued to grow throughout the 20th and 21st Centuries. I find the score lush and beautiful, and without exception, the cast of this production is a joy to listen to. Yu’s exuberant tenor is transformative, bringing Rudolfo to new heights. Morrison’s bell-like soprano shimmers with a knowing warmth and strength. Lazdowski, Vincent, and Filloux all amplify the lavishness of the music.
While the voices delivered the promise of every aural pleasure La Bohème has to offer, I found some of the acting far too stilted and understated. Opera singers, thank goodness, have evolved as actors. The stereotypical stiff Wagnerian figures of generations past are no longer prominent. Now, none of the singers in this production come even close to stiff or stereotypical, but I found myself wishing that the bountifully gifted Morrison had been more realistic as a woman so ill with what they used to call consumption. Had I been unfamiliar with the story, I would have found all the references to Mimi’s weakness and frailty confusing. I’m sure that fits of coughing can be damaging to a soprano, but I was disappointed that she didn’t find a way to visually transmit Mimi’s severe illness.
There were some technical glitches during the first performance (the supertitle projection screen became entangled in the rising and falling curtain, for example) that I assume have been corrected since, but in general, the production is not so solid on the technical side. The supertitles were rather pale and I heard a significant number of audience members complain that they had difficulty reading them. The lighting, designed by Alex Jainchill, was much too dark throughout the show. Stephen Dobay’s scenic design was very pleasing to the eye; at the same time, it just didn’t reflect the poverty so essential to the story. Similarly, Brooke Stanton’s costumes were lovely and colorful, but in my opinion, the designs were too fine looking for impoverished artists.
There is certainly a lot to love about this production of La Bohème: first and foremost, the vocal power, as well as the excellent musical accompaniment conducted by Brian Garman. Director Jonathon Loy has a great knack for moving crowds of cast members at a good pace (I especially enjoyed the charming children’s chorus); at the same time, there was a lull between several scenes, behind a closed curtain and a supertitle saying PAUSE, and I found myself wondering whether these pauses were planned or another technical glitch. Still, I would encourage opera aficionados as well as anyone who appreciates the potential for beauty of the human voice to score a ticket while they can.
The Berkshire Opera Festival‘s production of La Bohème, music by Giacomo Puccini; libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa; based on Henri Murger’s Scènes de la vie de bohème. Brian Garman, Conductor. Jonathon Loy, Director. CAST: Whitney Morrison as Mimi; Benjamin Taylor as Marcello; Yongzhao Yu as Rudolfo; Véronique Filloux as Musetta; Evan Lazdowski as Colline; Ethan Vincent as Schaunard; and James Demler as Benoit/Alcindoro.
CREATIVE TEAM: Scenic Designer Stephen Dobay; Costume Designer Brooke Stanton; Lighting Designer Alex Jainchill; Hair and Make-up Designer Beckie Kravetz; Assistant Conductor and Chorus Master Geoffrey Larson; Assistant Director Christian Rozakis; Principal Coach and Rehearsal Pianist Travis Boom; Chorus Rehearsal Pianist Noah Palmer; Supertitles Author Cori Ellison; Production Stage Manager Cindy Knight.
La Bohème will be presented at Pittsfield’s historical Colonial Theatre twice more, on Tuesday, August 29 at 7:30pm, and on Friday, September 1, at 7:30pm. Approximate running time: 2 hours, 20 minutes, including one intermission. Sung in Italian with projected English translations
Tickets from $20-$120 are available through The Colonial Theatre box office.