Twentieth-Century La Bohème

Afriend said to me recently, “I have tickets to La bohème at the Skylight, but after their La traviata last season, I'm not sure I want to go.”  Foranyone else with concerns about standard opera repertory at the Skylight, beassured that the new production of Labohème, which opened last weekend, is not a wild re-conception of themusical score or libretto to Puccini's opera.
 Director Bill Theisen, artistic director at the Skylight, placed theopera in 1930s Parisrather than the1830s, a gentle change. Rick Rasmussen's designs are lovely,especially the architectural look of the garret. Any connection to Brassaï's1930s Parisian photographs, which Theisen cites as the production inspiration,is subdued. I could quibble with various points of direction, but the emotionbuilt into the libretto and Puccini's score generally comes through.

AliciaBerneche is a sympathetic and appropriately coquettish Mimi, though her lightvoice was not made for Puccini's sustained melodies. Brandon Wood, as Rodolfo,has a good lyric voice that is a work in progress. He is not a natural actor.It was a stretch to believe him to be a dreamy, impulsive poet. Michael Mayeshas the voice, look and temperament to match the hot blooded Marcello. DanielleHermon Wood's Musetta was spirited and well-sung. Christopher Clayton'sSchaunard warmed up after some pressed singing early on to handsome and easysound in the last act. Bass Thomas Forde's youthful voice was a little shy ofdepth in filling out the character of Colline.

Puccini'soriginal orchestration is a big factor in making us believe that Mimi andRodolpho could fall deeply in love so quickly. The Skylight's reducedorchestration, particularly the small string section, undermines this effect.With so few players any inexactness is also quite exposed, apparent here andthere. Even on its own terms, there was one avoidable problem with theperformance: interpolating non-Bohèmeinterludes during scene changes, violating the opera's musical whole and flowby introducing unrelated material. It would have been far better to sit insilence for a few minutes in half-light, the common opera company practice.