LA BOHEME AT THE ARTS THEATRE
Think of it: a La Boheme actually set in a 19th century frozen garret somewhere on the Left Bank, characters you can truly believe in and voices to die for. James Conway’s production for the English Touring Opera goes back to basics with this masterpiece by Puccini. You could almost feel the penetrating cold of the Parisian hovel endured by Rodolfo (failed poet) and Marcello (equally failed painter). The set design is stark yet bold and innovative. The crumbling attic is dominated by a giant mirror wall, cast in Expressionist angles and throwing reflections back on the audience. It is like witnessing a poverty-struck Paris through a distorting lens where memory and substance overlap in ever-shifting dynamics. The intimacy of the Arts auditorium brought the piece closer than I’d ever seen it before. One felt that you could almost take Mimi by her frozen hand. It was also utterly wonderful to have the ETO’s full band decorating this operatic marvel with Puccini’s lush, sometimes oddly spiky orchestrations. This was surround sound on a grand scale. The power of the orchestra meant that unlike listening to recordings, one could catch the rich subtleties of the score.
Leading the pack of excellent vocalists, were Luciano Botelho as the love-sick poet, Michel de Souza playing the jealous hothead Marcello and Jenny Stafford suitably coquettish as Musetta. Francesca Chiejina was outstanding as the dying Mimi – she brought a rare intensity to the part and there was believable sexual chemistry between her and Botelho as Rodolfo.
The opera was sung in Italian with subtitles beamed on TV screens. I don’t know how accurate the translations were but there was something lost I felt – perhaps Italian love lyrics don’t always lend themselves to easy English. None of that mattered because the acting was so good, arias so well sung that the plot (pretty simple on the surface) came through.
Hats off to Aidan Edwards in the minor part of a policeman: he had to hold the stage warming his hands on a brazier at the beginning of Act 3 when the lights went off in the pit and the production had to be paused for a few minutes. This just made the audience love the experience all the more when the gorgeous music started up again.
If you’ve never seen La Boheme or know it only from records – go and see this powerful yet intimate production. If you do know it, you will fall in love with it all over again. This is a piece about the power of love to conquer all adversity – even death – it is life affirming, stirring the heart, delighting the senses and pure joy.
La Boheme is touring with The Golden Cockerel
Cambridge Arts Theatre, 6 St Edward’s Passage, Cambridge, CB2 3PJ
Dates: Wednesday 20 April – Saturday 23 April 2022
Times and prices:
La bohème: Wednesday 20, 7.30pm
Friday 22, 7.30pm
Saturday 23, 7.30pm
The Golden Cockerel: Thursday 21, 7.30pm
£30/£40/£50*
*All ticket prices include a £3 per-ticket booking fee
Box Office: 01223 503333 / www.cambridgeartstheatre.com
