Opera Review: la Bohème @ Theatre Royal Brighton

Review: Eric Page

Tue March 25th 2023

Opera International’s award-winning Ellen Kent Production featuring the Ukrainian Opera & Ballet Theatre Kyiv production of la Bohème , one of the most romantic operas ever written, is lovely.  It tells the tragic tale of the doomed, consumptive Mimi and her love for a penniless writer.

This is an utterly charming performance, with some of Kent’s signature touches, a stage filling spectacle; here a busy winter market scene, filled with bubble blowers, stilt-walkers, huge puppets and a mass of Parisienne costumed chorus members all milling about with wintery glee.  We had a doggy troop on alongside Muzetta’s entrance, both delighted a very appreciative audience and a quite a lot of younger local people, mop capped, who made up the children of this diverse Parisian arrondissement.

La Boehme is a romantically sad story, ending in tragedy but with some delightful set pieces celebrating love hope and beauty, it’s frothy rococo vocal delights hiding a sombre narrative heart of struggle, hardship and premature death.

Kent serves up well loved classics in a classic way, romantic, directly, in their original language, La Bohème is sung here in Italian, with surtitles above the stage (although these aren’t visible from the rear rows of the stalls). The live orchestra, the National Orchestra of Moldova is conducted in a lively way by Nicholae Dohotaru adding to the romance and vintage feel of these performances, the theatre royal removing the front few rows of seats to accommodate the big, robust members of the orchestra.  My companion this evening adored Pucci and was delighted by this live intimate rendition from the orchestra, giving a real feel of connection between the musicians, singer, and audience.

The night ended with a rather sober rendition of the Ukrainian National Anthem, sung by all the performers, and musicians and brought the Theatre Royal audience to its feet in a show of dignified solidarity for the communities, and families, of the performers devastated by the current war.

You can learn more about Ellen Kents opera productions here or check out their next performances, you’ve still got time to grab a ticket for Madam Butterfly this evening but looking at the sold out night last night you’ll be lucky to get a ticket.

The Opera Company is regularly in Brighton, and I’d recommend them for their unchallenging classically comfortable performance, done with precision and performed, very often, as the composers would have seen them.

Sung in Italian with English subtitles.

For more into or to book tickets see the Theatre Royal Brighton website here