LA Opera La Bohème
LA Opera’s revival of filmmaker Herbert Ross’s production of Puccini’s heartbreaking romance La Bohème is an emotionally engaging enchantment. Lina González-Granados conducts the sublime romantic and melodic score that complements the singers’ voices to flourish individually and weave together. La Bohème depicts young artists struggling with poverty amidst the joys and sorrows of love through a bitterly cold Parisian winter.
The Performers
Left to right: William Guanbo Su (Colline), Oreste Cosimo (Rodolfo), Rod Gilfry (Benoit), Gihoon Kim (Marcello) and Emmett O’Hanlon (Schauanard) in LA Opera’s 2025 production of La Bohème. Photo: Cory Weaver.
Soprano Janai Brugger debuts as Mimì and invokes a tender vulnerability and sweetness through her suffering. Tenor Oreste Cosimo portrays Rodolfo with a nervous intensity while displaying affection for Mimi and fear of commitment. Baritone Gihoon Kim as Marcello blends a volatile temper with comic relief in his turbulent love affair with Musetta. Soprano Erica Petrocelli reprises the role of Musetta with tempestuous passion while exuding an indifference to love.
Additionally, the Bohemian roommates are performed by singers making their first LA Opera appearances. Bass William Guanbo Su as Colline, baritone Emmett O’Hanlon as Schaunard and baritone Rod Gilfry as both Benoît and Alcindoro
The Four Acts
The opera is in four Acts, two before and two after an intermission. During the pauses between Acts, a narrative description of the intermediate story line is projected upon the curtain.
Mimì has some of the most lyrically poetic lines in La Bohème. She tenderly sings of the simplicity of her life, flowers, spring, and dreams. Later she reflects that it is better to die in spring, when life is blossoming, foreshadowing her tragic fate.
Janai Brugger as Mimi and Oreste Cosimo as Rodolfo in LA Opera’s 2025 production of La Bohème; Photo by Cory Weaver.
Rodolfo’s aria in Act I captures the essence of the bohemian spirit. “Who am I? I am a poet. What do I do? I write. And how do I live? I live.”
Act II moves to the bustling Latin Quarter crowded with vendors, jugglers, children playing, and people celebrating. The stage is filled with festive characters portrayed by one hundred members of the LA Opera Chorus, Children’s Chorus and Supernumeraries.
Act III features the emotionally charged Musetta and Marcello duet, which explodes with raw desire and volatility.
Act IV brings the characters together in sadness reflecting on happier memories and confronting the inevitable death of Mimi.
The Creative Team
La Bohème is directed by Brenna Corner, scenery designed by Gerard Howland and costumes by Peter J. Hall and Jeannique Prospere. The lighting designer is Pablo Santiago. Jeremy Frank is the director of the LA Opera Chorus and Fernando Malvar-Ruiz is the artistic director of the Los Angeles Children’s Chorus.
Pre-show talks by Jeremy Frank take place one hour before every performance. Frank’s presentation is highly entertaining as he provides interesting background about the opera and sings excerpts from pivotal arias.
La Bohème remains relevant today as it explores themes of financial struggles, housing, healthcare, emotional fragility, and creative expression. And it has inspired contemporary works including Jonathan Larson’s Rent, and TV shows like Girls and Euphoria.
For more about LA Opera visit http://laopera.org
