Virginia Opera presents a twist on a tradition
A short, sweet ‘La Bohème: Rodolfo Remembers’
How does Virginia Opera top its season opener, its staging of Wagner’s “Das Rheingold” at Topgolf in September? By offering another innovation, this time on one of opera’s most popular works, Puccini’s “La Bohème.”
The November production is a twist on the traditional —”La Bohème: Rodolfo Remembers.” It will be the first performance at the Harrison Opera House since Virginia Opera closed “Cinderella” in February 2020.
This “Bohème” was conceived and adapted by Keturah Stickann and Bruce Stasyna for the San Diego Opera last year. The story is told from Rodolfo’s
perspective 10 years after the death of his beloved Mimi. It looks back on love gained, lost and recaptured, along with his reflections as a young, starving poet enjoying life along with his equally striving bohemian friends, painter Marcello, musician Schaunard, philosopher Colline. Each is dedicated to his art, along with the on-again, off-again
affairs of coquettish singer Musetta.
Stickann, who rejoins the opera for her second production as stage director, developed the approach because of COVID-19 restrictions last year. It was staged in a drive-in “moviestyle” parking lot to tell a love story without having performers in close contact. Stickann focused on tender moments through the lens of memory.
“I believe memory is something all of us live with and understand; it resonates with storytelling,” she said.
The Virginia Opera production, however, will allow degrees of physical interaction.
But because of the pandemic, Stickann has reduced the roughly two-hour opera to 90 minutes with no intermission to lessen the stage time for actors and to have fewer actors on stage. “Bohème” will not have a chorus or children, but the major characters remain intact. Fear not, “Bohème” aficionados: Stickann assures that all essential elements have been finessed and that there are no noticeable orchestral or vocal breaks.
“As we move forward through the season, the casts get larger and the shows get longer,” said
Artistic Director Adam Turner. “It’s the responsible journey back to our stages and indoor performances.”
This “Bohème,” he said, provides the “best of ” musical moments that could encourage first-time goers to venture into opera. Its appeal is universal and, as he said, pulls people into its spell with passion and romance, a sweeping orchestral score, and passionate arias and duets.
Both he and Stickann find this version a perfect entry for opera — short and sweet — and yet for seasoned fans, all the cherished, expected moments are here.
It is a “slightly shifted perspective with less hustle and bustle,” Turner said, “an intimate focus on the principal players. … We’re able to capture the essence of the story and find our modern-day connections to these very timely feelings of love and loss, the relationships and friendships that sustain us through it all.”
Reach John Shulson at shulark@cox.net
If you go
When: 8 p.m. Nov. 5; 7:30 p.m. Nov. 6; 2:30 p.m. Nov. 7 Where: Norfolk, Harrison Opera House, 160 W. Virginia Beach Blvd.
Also: Richmond, 8 p.m.
Nov. 19; 2:30 p.m. Nov. 21. Carpenter Theater at the Dominion Energy Center,
600 E. Grace St. And Fairfax, Nov. 13 and 14, George Mason University Center for the Arts. Tickets: Start at $25
Details: vaopera.org or 866673-7282. Masks required. Patrons must show a photo ID and proof of vaccination or negative COVID test taken no more than 72 hours before performance, or negative test within 48 hours. For more information, visit vaopera.org/experience/ ticket-policies.