In the mid-1800s, French author Henri Murger wrote short stories based loosely on the lives of his fellow bohemians in the Latin Quarter of Paris. Those stories, known collectively as Scenes de la vie de bohème (Scenes of Bohemian Life), became the inspiration for Giacomo Puccini’s most famous opera, La bohème.
Puccini’s La bohème almost didn’t make it to the stage. Early in its creation, fellow composer Ruggero Leoncavallo wrote his own version inspired by Murger’s stories. Puccini suggested that the public could decide which they preferred, and the rest is history. Leoncavallo’s libretto faded into obscurity while Puccini’s became one of the world’s best-loved operas.
Since then, this tale of impoverished young artists struggling to make ends meet has become one of the world’s most frequently performed operas. It was also the inspiration behind the late Jonathan Larson’s multi-award-winning rock musical, Rent.
The Lyric Theatre is QPAC’s largest theatrical space. It features a classic horseshoe-shaped auditorium with two balconies, exceptional acoustics and an expansive stage perfect for the sensory largesse that is La bohème. Luckily for this first-time opera goer, English subtitles also made following the plot a breeze.
On opening night, the curtains were up, and the artistry of Set and Costume Designer Charles Davis was unfolding even as folk took to their seats.
Carefully lit from within, a tall, multi-windowed edifice stood centre stage, through which the moving silhouettes of inhabitants could be seen. Outside, townsfolk walked past in ones and twos, huddled against the cold. Snow began to fall, and an anticipatory hush fell on the audience.
Then and only then did the lights go down and the orchestra, led by Conductor Umberto Clerici, strike up. Clerici has a special connection with this opera, having played in the orchestra of Turin’s Teatro Regio, where La bohème premiered in 1896.
Originally set in the 1830s, director Matt Reuben James Ward has reimagined the opera in 1920s Paris, in the aftermath of The Great War. Act 1 introduces us to Rodolfo, the writer, played with elan and passion by Italian tenor Valerio Borgioni. Rodolfo’s boisterous young friends Marcello the painter (Samuel Dundas), Schaunard (Jeremy Kleeman) and Colline (Luke Stoker) are frequent visitors to his dingy, cold garret.
It is Christmas Eve, and together they make the most of the little they have, imagining a life filled with fine wine, women and song. Some of La bohème’s most enjoyable ensemble work belongs to this larrikin quartet and their entertaining horseplay.
The softly incandescent Elena Perroni plays Mimi, who lives upstairs from Rodolfo, embroidering silk flowers to make a living. That same evening, Mimi knocks on Rodolfo’s door seeking assistance when her lamp goes out.
There follows playful trepidation, outright flirtation and a first kiss that crescendos with Puccini’s famous soaring love duet, “O soave fanciulla” as the pair head off to Café Momus to meet Rodolfo’s friends.
The seamless transition into Act 2 sees the backlights at the rear of the stage transform into market stalls and pushed to the front of the stage. This is a delicious piece of artistry by the clever production team.
The bustling town centre is filled with folk doing last-minute Christmas shopping. Pere Noel is handing out gifts to the children. Women are dressed to the nines in fringed satin that glimmers in the streetlight.
It is here, at Café Momus, that we are introduced to the delightful Musetta, played with vulnerable sassiness by award-winning First Nations soprano Nina Korbe. Marcello, still in love with Musetta, manages to seduce her, and the lovers – old and new – head off triumphantly into the winter’s night.
In Act 3, the toll gate on the edge of town where Rodolfo and Marcello are working stands in stark contrast to the alluring charm of Café Momus. Several months have passed, and Rodolfo, frantic with worry over Mimi’s failing health, has left her, certain he lies at the heart of her suffering. But Mimi refuses to give up on her man. The lovers are reunited, promising to part again in Spring.
Act 4 – the final act – sees Rodolfo and Marcello mourning the loss of their respective lovers as they sing perhaps my favourite duet, “O Mimi, tu piu non torni.” Borgioni’s deftly elegant tenor overlays Dundas’ rich, lilting baritone with seamless, heartbreaking beauty. Not long after, both Mimi and Musetta, the former on death’s door, are reunited with their lovers.
Mimi succumbs to her illness and, as the curtains drop, we are left with a twilight tableau. Rodolfo, bereft and heartbroken, clings to the dead Mimi.
This rollercoaster of love lost and found and lost again lies at the heart of La bohème’s timelessness. There is no perfect romance, no love-will-conquer-all optimism. Instead, we see the frailty of human endeavour and the fickle brevity of life.
Featuring some of the best-loved arias and duets ever written, La bohème is a glittering, multi-textural delight that charms and beguiles. As an opera first-timer, I could not have wished for more.
La bohème is presented by Opera Queensland and West Australian Opera in association with Brisbane Festival and QPAC. It runs to 13 September at the Lyric Theatre QPAC as part of Brisbane Festival.
Tickets: https://qpac.com.au/whats-on/2025/opera-queensland-la-boheme#
Website: https://www.oq.com.au/whats-on/la-boheme-2025/
Socials: https://www.instagram.com/operaqueensland/
Hero image photo credit: Murray Summerville
