La Boheme

La Boheme
Opera Colorado
Ellie Caulkins Opera House
Denver, CO 
November 7-15, 2017

Operas are known for depicting glamorous lives with complex music. However, La Boheme is a departure from this formula. The main characters of this opera are starving artists whose dedication to their craft has left them in dire straits. These characters are much easier for the average person to identify with.

The characters are fairly two-dimensional. This cast had the acting abilities to flesh them out into more realistic people. They were likeable and appealing – even at their worst.

Even the love stories were believable. The actors had enough on-stage chemistry to invest the audience in their relationships.

The score of La Boheme is not the most familiar in opera. While the music is beautiful, aside from “Musetta’s Waltz,” it is not memorable.

The sets for the show were indicative of the poverty the characters lived in. While the apartment of Rodolpho and Marcello was sparse, there was a poetry to the scene. The audience was able to see into the hallway outside their door, giving the audience a preview of what may be coming.

In such a setting, the costumes could have been overly plain. However, each man had his own style and even Mimi’s dress was pretty if plain. It only made her special pink bonnet stand out even more. However, during crowd scenes if was difficult to pick out the main characters.

One character who did not blend in was Musetta. She was the wealthiest of the main characters. However, it was unclear why her clothing was so tacky, especially considering so many of the men were supposed to be attracted to her.

For opera  lovers, La Boheme is everything they could ask for – a high quality production with excellent performances.