Originally printed in Quench
I was at first nervous about seeing La Boheme because of it’s very nature as an opera. Though I had never seen one before, you could forgive me for feeling nervous about it. The public perception of the form signifies a certain stuffiness, held only in esteem by the oldest generations and – daresay – consisting of long, boring productions with overly melodramatic singing. However, I was certainly inquisitive and eager to be proved wrong, and so looked forward to seeing La Boheme immensely.
A story concerning a doomed relationship between a bohemian and his lonely seamstress neighbour, I was enthused that the opera was relatively agreed upon as one of the best to see – it’s a standard performed constantly around the world, formed by Giacomo Puccini at the end of the 19th century, a composer viewed as one of the greatest figures in Italian opera – so for the first dip into the pool, it seemed very suitable. Its worldwide ubiquity was reflected in the differing backgrounds of the performers, such as Argentina, Korea, and Portugal, aside from a strong Welsh cast.
The story begins through introducing the main character Rodolfo, played by Luis Gomes, and his friends: all anticipating a grim Christmas due to their poverty until he falls in love with Mimi, a slightly ditzy neighbour wowed by his passion for poetry, expertly performed by Anush Hovhannisyan. The opera was surprisingly simple to follow – it captured their relationship as it blossomed, receded, and changed, in environments such as bustling Christmas streets and the tollgate into Paris. It was sung in the original Italian with helpful English and Welsh subtitles on small screens above the stage so you could easily follow the narrative. The Donald Gordon Theatre was an especially impactful setting; it was huge and ornamental, with a boxed stage perfect for whisking its audience away to a cold Christmas Eve.
The staging too was very impressive – Act 2 opened with the revelry at the Café Momus, busy with street hawkers depicting a pretty Christmas aesthetic, and they had inexplicably created a snowing climate on stage through a method I could not figure. The characters too were just as fully-formed and remarkably expressive as any major Broadway or West End production. I particularly enjoyed Marcello, played by Rodion Pogossov, a suave wise-cracker who charmingly becomes a simpering pursuer when coming across his former lover Musetta. His other two friends, Colline and Schaunard, also have a remarkable sense of stage presence. The entire cast’s singing will prove a surely impressive feat by itself, sung in perfect, fluent Italian for a couple of hours without a duff note.
Narratively, it wasn’t uncharted waters at all; I personally was well-reminded of many of the forms of drama I was familiar with, the closest comparison in my (albeit-limited) experience being to Shakespeare. There is much tragedy in how Rodolfo settles on the thought that his relationship with Mimi is inflicting pain on her, as their illness can only grow worse in the poverty they share. I felt tremendously sorry for the central characters, struck by a universal story of the emotional suffering caused by poverty. I would thoroughly recommend seeing a production put on by the Welsh National Opera - La Boheme was immensely enjoyable and a very worthwhile change from the typical musicals most audiences are accustomed to, with the considerable bonus of the show taking place in a beautiful venue. I was intrigued by the opportunity to watch an opera and I came away very impressed and eager to see more.
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