La Bohème is one of the most frequently performed operas at the Met, and from the performance this past Saturday, it’s clear that the company knew exactly how to marry both an intricate set and powerful voices to create a production that tugs at the heartstrings.
Because this opera was broadcasted (as opposed to the viewers seeing the actors themselves on stage), I feel like the experience of watching this opera isn’t quite as authentic. As the audience sitting in a theater, the images are curated for the viewers–it’s all about what the producers of the broadcast wants to show the viewers rather than what on the stage draws the attention of the viewers–for example, they might zoom in to certain characters’ faces at various parts of the opera to emphasize heightened emotions, whereas someone who is watching the opera in person would be free to look at everything. In a way, this makes the intentions and messages of the production appear to be more obvious, but it is also curated to be whatever the producers want the viewers to see.
Sonya Yoncheva as Mimi stood out to me as a gentle and sensitive singer, which I felt was fitting as she played (quite literally) “the girl next door”. Opposite of Yoncheva is Michael Fabiano as Rodolfo, whose rich and confident voice, I felt, complemented Yoncheva’s well. Yoncheva and Fabiano gave us a beautiful picture of tender, young love through the opera–whether it be the bashful, but tender feelings of young love in Act I, heartbreak in Act III, or the feelings of loss and helplessness in Act IV, the pair was a formidable combination.
Though the opera is a tragedy, there are moments of “fun” and comedy embedded within. Most notably is the camaraderie between the quartet of artists–Rodolfo, Marcello, Schaunard, and Colline’s actors managed to establish a sort of easy rapport throughout the opera. Most notably, their banter, singing, and dancing right before Mimi’s appearance (and death) in Act VI was fluid and organic, which I felt not only added to the unexpectedness and emotional intensity of Mimi’s death, but also highlighted Puccini’s ability to write an opera that has comical moments embedded in the tragedy.
I also enjoyed seeing Susanna Phillips as Musetta. Musetta was fiery, flirtatious, and flamboyant–a character foil of Mimi, who had come off as more reserved and tender. Phillips, too, as with the rest of the cast, is a strong and confident singer, and I thought her performance of Musetta was likable despite Musetta’s seeming want for attention throughout Acts II and III. Her presentation of Musetta, as someone who is a kind and gentle soul underneath everything was convincing to me in Act IV, though from a plot standpoint, Musetta’s change in personality in Act IV came rather abruptly. That said, however, Phillips’s portrayal of Musetta was fitting for each of those acts, first singing flamboyantly when Musetta was first introduced to us, then adopting a more solemn mood towards the end of the opera for her character.
As a whole, I thought the pacing of Act I was a little slow–though the music was beautiful, especially when Mimi and Rodolfo first met, it seemed drawn out and bland, with little action. The following acts do pick up, however, and the grand set of Act II stood out to me in particular. The chorus was splendid, portraying the hustle and bustle of the Latin Quarter with not only their voices, but a single donkey marching across the stage, parades of people, a man on stilts, and even a clown. Act III was a very different kind of ‘active’–it captivated me not only with the beautiful snowy scenery but also the drama between Mimi and Rodolfo, Musetta and Marcello–tied together at the end of the act with a quartet, with Mimi and Rodolfo’s reconciliation and Mimi and Marcello’s separation. Though this act, like the first, was composed with the majority of lyrical arias, it did feel more active to me than Act I both due to the picturesque set and the drama between the characters. Finally, Act IV was packed with emotional intensity. It starts with the four bohemians’ horseplay, “boys being boys”, but the mood of the opera almost instantaneously transitions into that of a somber one as Musetta and Mimi shows up. This transition, I felt, as jarring, a stark contrast to what was happening only moments ago in the plot, but I feel like it adds to the drama and perhaps tells the audience of the uncertainty of life and love.
I think the ending left me a little perplexed; though I know that Mimi was going to die in the final act prior to watching the opera, I also didn’t quite expect the opera to end so abruptly. The element of surprise in this most likely leads to a more intense emotional response from the audience and serves as a cathartic release after all the action, so I understand the purpose of this abruptness, but there was a part of me wishing for a more definite conclusion, especially for Musetta and Marcello’s storyline.
With all that said, I thought the audience reception of the broadcasted opera was great. Even though it’s obvious that none of the actors could hear us, many of the audience members still clapped after acts, and especially when each actor came out to bow at the end. Though the opera was taking place many miles away, the audience members in the movie theater obviously still felt engaged.
Overall, The Met Production of La Boheme was a beautiful opera featuring beautiful music, acting, and a elaborate set. It was enjoyable, and though the pacing of Act I seemed a little bit slow, the subsequent acts more than made up for it.
