Giacomo Puccini’s “La Bohème” is a tragic opera in four acts, with a libretto by Giuseppe Giacosa and Luigi Illica based on the novel, “Scènes de la vie de Bohème,” by Henri Murger. The opera follows a group of young Bohemians navigating love, work, poverty and illness in 1840s Paris.
Franco Zeffirelli’s exquisite set design transports us to a multidimensional 19th-century Paris, where the city’s wealth disparity is front and center. Act I opens in a cut-away, squalid, attic apartment, where the grit and grime mirrors the neighboring gray rooftops and even grayer sky.
In Act II, we’re brought to a picturesque sidewalk cafe, perfect for people-watching. Act III introduces an isolated snowy cabin, juxtaposing the cold, heartbreaking scene outside with the warmth and conviviality bursting from inside. Finally, we return to the apartment for Act IV, now sunny and full of (short-lived) entertainment.
We first hear Juliana Grigoryan as the seamstress Mimì calling to the poet Rodolfo (Freddie De Tommaso) from the hallway of their apartment building, her candle having gone out on a particularly cold winter evening. The strangers quickly fall in love, singing of their lives, struggles and hopes. In their love duet, “O soave fanciulla,” we hear the pair reunite offstage, becoming one voice and closing out the first act.
Grigoryan and De Tommaso are powerful performers, imbuing their characters with heightened emotional depth and humanity. Even as Rodolfo freezes in his drafty attic apartment, De Tommaso’s tender tenor voice emanates comforting warmth; even as Mimì’s tuberculosis worsens, Grigoryan’s delicate soprano voice fills the theater, carrying a quiet strength to the end.
Mimì and Rodolfo’s love story reminds us that even in despair, there is beauty; even amidst hardship, love can bloom.
Lucas Meachem offers a lively, comedic performance as the painter Marcello. He becomes especially demonstrative once his former love, the fiery Musetta (Heidi Stober), bursts onto the scene in an exquisite red gown, accompanied by her new wealthy suitor. Marcello and Musetta trade barbs as the tumultuous on-again, off-again lovers, in stark contrast to the dark, brooding relationship of Rodolfo and Mimì.
Jongmin Park, as the philosopher Colline, and Sean Michael Plumb, as the dancer Schaunard, are especially brilliant in their daring mock duel (“Gavotta! … Minuetto!”), as they chase each other out the window of the attic and spar across the rooftops of Paris. Soon after, Park’s remarkable bass adds a genuine longing as he sings a touching ode to his coat (“Vecchia zimarra, senti”), thanking it for its service before being pawned to help save Mimì.
These performances aren’t complete without the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, expertly led by conductor Keri-Lynn Wilson. They bring the full breadth of Puccini’s score to life, from the triumphant percussion of a joyous parade to the lilting romantic woodwinds guiding the characters into love, and sweeping dramatic strings underscoring the gravity of their situations.
If the story of “La Bohème” sounds familiar, that might be because it served as the basis for the beloved musical “Rent.” Though the setting (the East Village in New York City instead of Paris), the illness (AIDS instead of tuberculosis) and some of the names (Mark instead of Marcello, Roger instead of Rodolfo) differ, the tragic bohemian love story set against a backdrop of poverty is very much the same. “Rent” even includes a direct mention of “Musetta’s Waltz” (“Quando me’n vo’”) in the song “La Vie Bohème.”
Attending an opera at The Met is always a delightfully multicultural experience. This story is set in Paris, sung in Italian by performers from all over the world and each seat is equipped with subtitle translations in English, German, Spanish and Italian.
However, in what is likely a first for The Met Opera, there will soon be two Armenians in the same production, with Grigoryan as Mimì and soprano Mané Galoyan as Musetta, performing from November 30 through December 12. Don’t miss out!
All photos are courtesy of The Metropolitan Opera unless otherwise noted.
Tickets are available for “La Bohème” at The Metropolitan Opera in New York City. Can’t make it to the Met? You can still catch Juliana Grigoryan as Mimì in The Met: Live in HD screening of “La Bohème” on November 8 at a movie theater near you. Later this season, Grigoryan will also perform the role of Liù in Puccini’s “Turandot” at The Met Opera.
I was there at the met Nov 8 she was great saw it many times the cast and orch was outstanding love the last act it always brings tears to my eyes……..