La Boheme

Originally written over 120 years ago in 1895, Giacomo Puccini's La Boheme (meaning 'bohemian') tells the story of a group of friends (a poet, a philosopher, a painter and a musician) who are penniless but nonetheless happy.

The night began when the violet velvet curtains were lifted, revealing an orchestra and conductor below the stage and the scene of Act One (adjusted to take place in 1930s Berlin), where the group of bohemians celebrate Christmas Eve in a rented warehouse space and the poet Rodolfo meets his neighbour Mimi (a seamstress) and immediately the pair fall in love. Mimi, exquisitely played by Natalie Aroyan, and Rodolfo, played by Diego Torre, are absolutely superb on stage. Their highly emotive performances captivated everyone in the audience from the moment their characters meet to the end of the show, the dialogue dramatic and tasteful, "For I am a poet and she is poetry."

Sung entirely in Italian, English subtitles were provided above and on both sides of the stage, but keeping up with the dialogue and the performance itself often proved frustrating. The lighting on stage was impeccable, as well as the stage, set and costume designs of every single cast member, from their makeup and hair to the details of their clothing. This is most obvious in the second act where a singer Musetta (played by Lorina Gore) bursts into a waltz song with scantily dressed women in heavy makeup and burlesque outfits, waiting staff in fine dining wear and a group of extraordinarily talented children singing along.

The final act takes place in the same bohemian loft seen in Act One, with the devastating ill Mimi close to death and grief-stricken Rodolfo desperately cupping her hands in his own. The actors come together for a seemingly natural, poignant, deeply warming performance of the classic La Boheme.