OPERA WITH ATTITUDE
La Boheme resonates 120 years later
The story of young and impoverished lovers trying to find their way in a harsh and unforgiving time was relevant 120 years ago and remains so, says La Boheme director Charlie Peters.
“It’s shockingly relevant to what we’re currently living,” Peters said. “It’s a story about these delightful characters and their relationships. It’s a very personal story.”
The tragic and beautiful story is in the top five most commonly performed operas, according to an opera statistics website. Even if you’re not devoted to Italian opera, there’s a modern take on it in the Broadway musical Rent.
In particular, the early scenes in the opera are closely reflected in the musical. And the ingenue Mimi is a character in both.
“If someone’s coming in because they love Rent, they’ll find both a lot of things that are nice touchstones for them, but also new things to discover,” Peters said.
Performers from Saskatoon and Saskatchewan make up more than half the leading cast while the entire design team is comprised of local artists. Chris Donlevy (Parpignol) said it’s a great experience to perform in front of a home crowd.
“I want to be able to sing for my family, and for my friends, and for the place where I grew up,” said Donlevy, who is studying in Manitoba. “I think it’s cool to show Saskatoon that we have this culture of opera that is something really special, that we are allowed to take pride in.”
Donlevy said Saskatoon Opera’s version of the Puccini opera is modern, not a “museum piece.” It’s important to him that it appeal to all demographics.
“I think everybody can hear this message, and have it leave the theatre with them,” Donlevy said. “It’s open to everybody, and that’s a big part of the show.”
Many sensitive themes are explored in the opera such as love, sickness, poverty and death. Despite the difficult topics, or perhaps because of them, Peters said there are a lot of things to love about the production.
“It’s a bit of a roller-coaster, honestly,” Peters said. “It goes from, really, the heights of joy and silliness and playfulness to the real lows that are in human experience, and that, to me, is the height of artistic achievement.”