La Boheme

 La Boheme is billed as the most popular opera in the world. Every opera company has a production they keep in readiness to revive and occasionally mount a new production or bring in one. Los Angeles Opera is reviving their wonderful production staged originally by Herbert Ross the famed film director. Evidences of his film background are everywhere in his staging and in the sumptuous set by `Gerard Howland. Not only are the scenes well directed to emphasize relationships but also he moves the action around, inside, outside, on the stairs, and even in indoor chambers in the courtyard scene. The only scene that didn’t work for me was the scene in front of the curtain before they all go into café Momus. It just looked crowded. Also the long pauses while they changed the set made me wish our stage were more flexible like the Met’s in New York.

     Singing is what La Boheme is all about and I thoroughly enjoyed the two young singers making the LA Opera debuts. Mimi was sung by the lovely Maija Kovalevska. Her voice is matched in sensitivity and beauty by the Italian tenor Massimo Giordano whose rendition of many of the famous arias brought tears to my eyes. The response seemed a bit tepid from the LA audience accustomed to super stars in the roles; the last time we had the super-couple Robert Alagna and Angela Gheorghiu. Nor is the production as glorious as the Baz Lurhmann production at the Ahmanson a few years back Suddenly at the end of the current revival the audience rose to their feet with a roar. Apparently, the audience, like me, had been so moved by the music that a loud outburst would almost seem inappropriate. We got to hear the piece as a whole rather than as a  series of arias and bravos.

     The leads were ably supported by Luca Salsi as Marcello, Oren Gradus as Colline and a local singer Brian Leerhuber whose voice I found particularly pleasing. Laquita Mitchell sang Musetta. She was rather restrained in the part but brought a nice dignity to the usually coquettish role. Hermut Haenchen conducted.  La Boheme plays in rep with Mozart’s Don Giovanni until December 16. A different cast also alternates as the young bohemians. www.LAOPERA.com 213 972 7219