With allegations swirling around General Director Plácido Domingo, Los Angeles Opera embarks on their new season with a production of Puccini’s classic opera La Bohème. This production, which was first performed in Berlin earlier this year, opens on Saturday, September 14th at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion.
You might be wondering why yet another production of La Bohème? It is with complete certainty that I can tell you the star attraction here is director Barrie Kosky. His innovative production of The Magic Flute (which makes a return at LA Opera starting November 16th) was first seen by local audiences in 2013 and it seems they cannot get enough. The production also played in 2016.
Like The Magic Flute, this production began its life at Berlin’s Komische Oper. What will Kosky do with La Bohème? The only official hints are references to antique photography as inspiration for the sets and that there will be brightly colored costumes. Reviews of the production from Berlin offer more details like the role of the landlord is reduced to that of a hat and is not sung. There are hookers of both sexes and that the final aria is not staged traditionally at all.
La Bohème tells the story of a love affair amongst the poor in Paris. Rodolfo (Saimir Pirgu) is a poet and Mimi (Marina Costa-Jackson) is a seamstress. Like many a great love story, this one does not end happily. The opera served as the inspiration for Jonathan Larson’s musical, Rent.
LA Opera is making a significant investment in its future by casting multiple roles with alumni and current members of their Domingo-Colburn-Stein Young Artist Program. This includes Kihun Yoon as Marcello, Nicholas Brownless as Colline, Erica Petrocelli as Musetta, Michael J. Hawk as Schaunard and Robert Stahley as Parpignol.
James Conlon once again leads the LA Opera Orchestra. Grant Gerson directs the LA Opera Chorus and Fernando Malvar-Ruiz directs the Los Angeles Children’s Chorus.
If you can’t make it downtown to see La Bohème, LA Opera will have live simulcasts of the September 28th performance at the Santa Monica Pier and Torrance’s Columbia Regional Park. Both will feature English and Spanish subtitles. These are free screenings, but do require an RSVP.
For tickets go here.
Main Image: Komische Oper Berlin’s 2019 production of La Bohème/photo by Ikko Freese/Drama_berlin.de.
All images courtesy of the Los Angeles Opera