La Boheme at Sydney Opera House

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Sat 16 Mar 2019 - Thu 28 Mar 2019

This production transports Giacomo Puccini's 1896 opera La Boheme from 1830s Paris to 1930s Berlin, when the progressive Weimar Republic ruled Germany. In this Bohemian society, decadence and glamour live side-by-side with abject poverty. Neon lights, lashings of velvet and scantily-clad dancers abound. But, beneath the devil-may-care excess, lurks a sinister force.

Australian director Gale Edwards, who debuted the production for Opera Australia in 2011, said her interpretation explores the suffering that may arise from self-absorption . The poet protagonist, Rodolfo, caught up in his 'careless existence', professes adoration of his lover, Mimi, but, ultimately, fails to look after her.



We first meet Rodolfo (Ivan Magrì) at home in a bitterly cold attic, where he lives with three friends: Marcello (Samuel Dundas), a painter; Colline (David Parkin), a philosopher; and Schaunard (Shane Lowrencev), a musician. Despite their poverty driving them to desperate acts, such as burning their work for heating, they hold fiercely to the Romantic ideal of placing their artistic pursuits above practicalities. Plus, they delight in one another's company – a delight that Edwards' production conveys with uplifting spirit, warmth and humour in the first act.



But, one evening, a knock on the door disrupts their world. Enter Mimi (Joyce El-Khoury), an embroiderer, who captures Rodolfo's heart. Their initial encounter involves La Boheme's best-known aria, ' Che Gelida Manina ', which Sicilian-born tenor Magrì delivers with an agile, compelling mix of dark lyricism and charming openness – well met by Canadian soprano El-Khoury's strong, rich interpretation of 'Sì. Mi chiamano Mimì'.



Parallel to Mimi and Rodolfo's tumultuous love affair is that of Marcello and the beautiful, provocative Musetta (Anna Princeva). We learn of it at Cafe Momus, which set designer Brian Thomson transforms into a lavish cabaret club, filled with glittering lights and sumptuous costumes, designed by Julie Lynch. The scene's extreme busyness at times threatens its emotive impact, but, nonetheless, Princeva cuts through with a bright yet seductive rendition of 'Quando M'en Vo'.



The characters' fall from the joys of romance to the agonies of jealousy and illness is mirrored by the descent of the Weimar Republic into Nazi rule. As winter deepens, the action shifts from luxurious Cafe Momus to bleak city pavements, stalked by hard-faced soldiers. Both the characters and the audience begin to question the relationship between passion and self-control – and between individual fulfilment and social duty.

Edwards' La Boheme – this time starring a charismatic, international cast – is a vibrant, dramatic take on Puccini's classic, that explores its perennial themes, but in a disturbing new setting.

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!date 16/03/2019 -- 28/03/2019
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