Matthew J. Palm:
Opera Orlando at best with “La Bohème.”
The opera “La Bohème” is a love story. That’s fairly common knowledge, even for those who don’t follow the art form. But in Opera Orlando’s superb — and sold-out — production at the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts, director Robert Neu does so much more with the concept of love than the boy-meets-girl plotline at the heart of the story.
For “La Bohème,” as Opera Orlando so movingly reminds us, is also a story about the love of friends — especially the friends who are there in the lean times, when the chips are down. This aspect of the story — the bond of true friendship — is what comes through so winningly in Jonathan Larsen’s musical “Rent,” based on Puccini’s 1896 opera.
I’ve seen stiff productions of “Bohème” in which the friendship element was swept to the side, in which the many comedic moments served as awkward filler between the dramatic moments of romance. But Neu gives us laughter that is genuine because we understand the emotional attachments of this ragtag group of bohemians. And surely life has as many laughs as tears, right?
Interestingly, although Opera Orlando gives us a more fully realized emotional experience of life, the staging shies from gritty realism to create a more theatrical experience. Paris literally sparkles with excitement as the cast showers glitter on the stage. Balloons drop at the conclusion of a glorious evening out.
Scenic designer Grant Preisser’s set is framed like a giant window, curtains draped at the side, as if to remind us we are peeking in on someone else’s story. A stylized silhouette of the Paris skyline also adds a dreamlike quality.
More realistic effects also succeed. The view of poor Mimi, in a simple knit cap, walking forlornly through the snow, is stunning. And the characters’ joy at having money to eat is all the more palpable when you can smell their toasted cheese baguettes all the way to the back of the downtown Orlando arts center’s Pugh Theater.
The intimacy of the theater does work against the production in one way, though — sitting so close to the action means the angle required to read the highly placed English supertitles was tough on the neck. But I can forgive that when the singing was so easy on the ears (So was the excellent chamber orchestra, directed by Andrés Cladera, which was perfectly pitched for the room.)
On opening night, Cecilia Violetta López gave Mimi an entrance a tad too strong, but that made her decline even more moving as her singing grew increasingly angelic. Ben Gulley’s big voice soared through Rudolpho’s emotional moments. Gabriel Preisser, Nathan Stark and Brian James Meyer share a natural affability that added warmth to their fine vocal performances. Bridgette Gan smartly kept Musetta’s brittle narcissism on view without detracting from her singing.
In every aspect, “La Bohème” shows Opera Orlando at its best.