Foo Chen Gui, Chad Sonka, Caleb Haselhuhn, and Gregory Etzel in La Bohème (photo by Missy Myers).
Giacomo Puccini’s most famous opera, La Bohème, portrays the highs and extreme lows of life and love in 19th-century Paris. Its characters are the original “Bohemians” – starving artists living in hovels while they struggle to pursue their passions. Rodolfo, a poet, meets and falls in love with Mimì, an ailing seamstress. Meanwhile, his friend and roommate Marcello has an on-again/off-again relationship with Musetta, the coquette of the Quarter. Their celebrations and struggles, their elation and heartbreak, play out in the opera’s two hours. We went to the June 19 preview performance of Opera Quad Cities’ production, directed by Michelle Crouch and conducted by Nathan Windt.
Mischa: The singing was consistently amazing, especially from the main characters Mimì (Madelynn Baez), Rodolfo (Foo Chen Gui), Marcello (Chad Sonka), and Musetta (Shelley Cooper). They were each wonderful individually and matched up equally well with each other in combination. Those voices performing Puccini’s awesome melodies: It was all pretty great!
Kitty: One-hundred-percent agree. I was hugely impressed by the amount of local, or near-local, talent. This was a stellar cast.
M: La Bohème jumps right in with frenzied activity in Rodolfo’s garret. Rodolfo and Marcello are trying to figure out how to get fuel for the wood stove to heat the place. The other two roommates get home, have an impromptu feast, and when the landlord shows up for the rent –
K: Rent! The Broadway musical inspired by this opera! Sorry. I had to.
M: Uh-huh. Anyway, they have to distract him. It can be confusing if you’re expecting more exposition, but it’s also exciting, and this production managed the many moving parts very well.
K: The plot is fairly episodic. The audience is basically getting glimpses of moments in these characters’ lives.
M: Well, the libretto is based on selected pieces from a collection of stories about Bohemian life in Paris, stories written in French – that’s also why the opera’s title is in French, although the rest is in Italian.
K: Which is great if you speak those languages. Thankfully, for me and other monolingual folk, there are supertitles with translations provided. But they seemed to be having some issues with them at Wednesday’s preview. I’m presuming they'll get the kinks worked out by opening night. Still, I was able to grasp the key points, even without the word-for-word translation.
M: And sometimes there was a lot to keep track of! In Café Momus in Act II, we had the bustle of café-goers (the adult chorus) as well as an energetic children’s chorus following a street vendor.
K: Parpignol! I loved Jilly Cooke's Parpignol. The toy-seller appears suddenly, cheerfully distributing wares to an enthusiastic crowd of children. Completely irrelevant to the plot, but so much fun.
M: It makes you feel immersed in the setting. And the chorus adds to that by making use of the whole space.
K: Definitely. But now we have to talk about Musetta in that scene. What an entrance! My consistent gripe with opera is that I want more from the acting. The vocals are the priority, and rightly, but these stories are so big that I want acting performances to match. Cooper always gave us that! And she always heightened the energy when she was onstage.
M: And she integrates acting and singing together so well! Some other lovely moments with acting and singing stood out for me: when Schaunard (Caleb Haselhuhn) comically describes negotiating with his eccentric employer or when he gets the roommates to dance together; when Colline (Gregory Etzel) sings a somber farewell to his coat in Act IV; and in nearly all the interactions between Marcello and Musetta.
K: Marcello and Musetta were definitely the comic relief. But Mimì and Rodolfo were the heart of this show, and Baez and Gui’s voices blend so well and sound so beautiful in tandem. I legitimately teared up listening to them.
M: Their voices had perfect clarity and seemed effortless.
K: When they hit those high notes … . I can’t even describe how wonderful it was.
M: For vocal excellence, though, Cooper’s dramatic flights and Sonka’s commanding yet precise depth of tone really gave them a run for their money.
K: Those two complemented each other very well, too.
M: We should also mention that the orchestra generally sounded very good – it's not a full orchestra, but quite full-sounding, including brass, wind, percussion … even a harp.
K: Let’s talk set (presumably by technical director Mike Turczynski). It was simple, but I liked that.
M: It allowed for easy changes within a basic structure, with rotating set pieces that had different panels for different scenes, and roll-out barriers to create an enclosure. The platform with Marcello’s easel served equally well in two different “rooms,” and in the second of those (Act III), seeing the interior of the tavern while Mimì stayed outside allowed the audience to see the two central couples juxtaposed and contrasted more effectively.
K: That was a great choice. And it worked without pulling focus from the main scene. Plus, the projections they had in each act provided nice backdrops. I do have a tiny critique about lighting: In Act I, when Rodolfo and Mimì are searching for her key, candles are supposed to be the only light source. But the full stage was well-lit, and it hurt the illusion.
M: The costumes were good. I’d call them eclectic, I guess, but that suited the Bohemian setting.
K: Especially with such a large chorus, I’d say Lora Adams and Sarah Kahler did an admirable job. Honestly, I think all aspects of this show were pretty great.
M: Yes! Bottom line for me: If you love music and drama, don’t miss this. These incredible performers are here making this marvelous music together live – but only for a short run!
Opera Quad Cities La Bohème runs at the Bettendorf High School Performing Arts Center (3333 18th Street, Bettendorf IA) on June 21 at 7:30 p.m. and June 23 at 2 p.m., and more information and tickets are available by visiting OperaQC.org.
