La Bohème review

It might seem surprising that an opera about bohemians should have become one of the most popular and enduring in the mainstream repertoire. But the poverty-stricken artists of La Bohème pose little threat to the establishment – and Puccini is careful not to portray too realistically the squalor of life on the margins in 19th-century Paris. In his artful hands, cold and hunger serve to contrast the warmth of love and friendship and, while a youthful zest for life finally proves no match for tuberculosis, it heightens the inevitable tragedy to cathartic extremes.

In Mid Wales Opera’s new MainStages chamber production, director Richard Studer maximises the characters’ vigour and idealism, revelling in details that bring them to life without excessively wringing out the drama. Yet their emotions are no less grand for this – nor are they constrained by the reduced scale of Jonathan Lyness’ orchestration, which manages to convey the rich melodic tapestry of Puccini’s score with just 12 musicians. It’s an impressive feat, and testament to a collective effort in which a gifted cast comes together with a snappy Ensemble Cymru in music-dramatic sync, purposefully conducted by Lyness.

The setting is moved forward a century, ensuring the fashions are relatively up-to-date while retaining the nostalgia that pervades this piece regardless of its emphasis on youth. In Studer’s design, darkly lit by Elanor Higgins, bare, windowed walls frame the action both indoor and outdoor through garret, cafe and winter landscape scenes. It’s a practical device that also speaks to the persistence of social deprivation across the centuries.

Passionately sung by Robyn Lyn Evans and Galina Averina, the love between Rodolfo and Mimi balances innocence and guile in an intimacy that contrasts the more public on-off turbulence between Marcello (Philip Smith) and Musetta (Mari Wyn Williams). The couples are equally convincing and, crucially, both women have agency, as Averina portrays Mimi as a resolute mistress of her own life alongside Wyn Williams’ fierily independent singer.

The wider vocal and dramatic groupings work well, too. While Lyn Evans and Smith prove mutually robust friends, Dan D’Souza and Emyr Wyn Jones provide excellent support as Schaunard and Colline respectively. Whether play-fighting with breadsticks, raising a glass in celebration or rallying together for succour in despair, the sense of camaraderie gives this production a touching veracity that makes Mimi’s final moments all the more devastating.

Before that, Mark Saberton provides tension release as a comic landlord and would-be bourgeois lover, joined by the gossipy chorus of Hazel Neighbour, Elen Lloyd Roberts and Meinir Wyn Roberts. Just as deftly, Studer turns actor in a waiter role so quietly watchable that we don’t miss the crowds at Café Momus one iota.