By Eliza Een
At the Noorda Center for the Performing Arts in Orem, UT, the Noorda Series Events in collaboration with the UVU Department of Music present the classic opera La Bohème, which has a history as rich as its characters are poor. Based on Henri Murger’s Scènes de la Vie de Bohème, a novel that gives glimpses into the lives of young bohemians living in Paris in the 1840s. Composer Giacomo Puccini and librettists Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa created the most successful stage version of Murger’s novel. This production performs the opera in original Italian with English translations projected above the stage. Performances on January 20, 22, and 24 feature Marina Costa-Jackson (Mimì) and Isaac Hurtado (Rodolfo), while the performances on January 26–29, 31 will be cast from UVU students. Both casts are under the direction of Matt August.
The central story of La Bohème follows the poet Rodolfo and the seamstress Mimì as they meet and fall in love. Rodolfo’s friends, Marcello, Colline, and Schaunard, are balancing their meager earnings and dream of wealth so they can support their artistry. A secondary plot line introduces the singer Musetta, the flirty former lover of Marcello, who works her way back into his good graces. As their relationships progress, Rodolfo starts to distance himself from Mimì, initially blaming her flirtations with other men, but he finally admits to Marcello that his abandonment stems from his concern for Mimì’s worsening health and the hope that she will find a wealthier beau to support her. Mimì overhears their conversation and sadly starts to accept the end of her whirlwind romance. Rodolfo talks with Mimì about the loneliness that they will feel without each other, and they agree to stay together until springtime. In the spring, Rodolfo and Marcello attempt to make progress in their artistic endeavors without their respective muses. Disturbing their somber reflection, Musetta enters with a weary Mimì, and the group frantically tries to provide comfort and relief for Mimì’s deteriorated physical state. Rodolfo and Mimì find a moment alone to reminisce, and Mimì declares that her love for him is her life. The friends return and ease her passing, and the curtain closes on Rodolfo’s anguish.
In a time when we are more conscious of every cough, Costa-Jackson’s performance hauntingly shows the worsening health of Mimì throughout the opera. The costuming and makeup for each of Mimì’s scenes takes advantage of her physique, crafting an illusion of sickness and frailty that contrasts with her coy demeanor and strong, powerful voice, particularly in “O buon Marcello, aiuto!” (Oh, good Marcello, help me!).
Hurtado is a veteran to the role of Rodolfo, and he continues to channel the lovestruck excitement and pain of the poet. In the opening scene, surrounded by a multitudinous ensemble, he reenacts his short-lived attempts at writing and leaves the audience in anticipation. His camaraderie with the other actors onstage, especially Marcello (Christopher Holmes) heightens the jovial aspects of their relationships and brings a warmth to the tragic ending. Hurtado’s image of the ambitious poet is accented by his typewriter and tailcoat.
Act two begins in the liveliest manner, as a hoard of eager rainbow-clad children (Hobble Creek Singers) rush the stage, chasing after Parpignol (Josh Hooker, a toy vendor) and his gifts. Their excitement mirrors the delight of friends Colline (Matthew Curran) and Schaunard (Christopher Clayton) as they peruse the market for the splurge purchases of a trumpet and a coat. Hurtado and Costa-Jackson walk at a lovers’ pace, purchasing gifts for each other while tuning out the mayhem around them. Musetta (Melissa Heath) is finally introduced and manages to stand out in the boisterous crowd, wearing her brazen monochrome red attire as she wrangles her love interests and establishes herself as a fiery and opinionated woman who can get what—and who—she wants. The leads show realistic empathetic concern for Mimì as her condition worsens, and Heath communicates a depth of character and sisterly affection as the one responsible for bringing Mimì to be reunited with her lover one last time. The roles of the landlord Benoit and Musetta’s other lover, Alcindoro, are both played by Joshua Scribner, who garners the audience’s pity as he is twice cheated out of money and burned by love.
The ensemble fills in the gaps onstage and in the audience’s eye as they bring to life Rodolfo’s frantically typed and discarded scenes and keep up the merriment of a festival crowd. During Musetta’s first song, “Quando me’n vo’” (When I go Along), the women of the ensemble form a sort of sorority chorus to support Musetta in her romantic plot. I love a girl-power moment, and it was so great to see strong women supporting women! Together with the scenery (provided by Arizona Opera, Scenic Designer Peter Dean Beck), they provide a convincing setting for the opera and allow the audience to feast their eyes on the multitude of action before them. The opera is accompanied by a live orchestra (conductor Nicolas Giusti) that supports the action onstage perfectly, envelops the audience with their lively tones, and consoles the lovers through their sorrows.
Come enjoy the spirited and emotional performance of La Boheme at UVU for a night to remember with high-quality theatrics and performances that depict the highs and lows of life, the Noorda Center for the Performing Arts in Orem, UT. UVU encourages the use of COVID-19 protective measures.
The Noorda Series Events and UVU Department of Music presents La Boheme by Giacomo Puccini book by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa, based on the novel by Henri Murger.
Visiting Artist Performances: January 20, 22, and 24 in 2022 at 7:30 PM
Tickets: $10 (Youth), $17 (Student), $30–$50 (General Public), $32–$40 (Senior and Military)
Student Cast Performances: January 26, 27, 28, 29, 31 in 2022 at 7:30 PM
Tickets: $5 (Youth), $15 (General Public)
Contact: 801-863-7529
La Boheme Program
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