May 14, 2003
E come vivo? Vivo!
Baz Luhrmann's La Boheme is a beautiful thing. The only change that could have made it better would have been Franka Potente as Mimi, but I won't quibble with casting choices. Our Mimi was perfectly waif-like. She was about to waste away before our very eyes. And she had a rocking feminine trenchcoat.
The beginning of Act Two, when the stage manager calls for the scene to start and the neon lights go up, was breathtaking. The entire audience gasped in unison. I don't think I'll forget that lively scene any time soon.
I had read reviews before going and I was skeptical of the choice to leave the curtain up during the entire show (i.e. you can watch scene changes and actors taking places), but it wasn't nearly as distracting as I had imagined. Even when four stage hands in black crouched at the corners of a set piece for the entire scene. There was just too much going on in the opera to bother looking at them.
I don't feel qualified to make a judgement on any of the performers' vocal abilities except to say that it was pleasing to the ear and every one of them managed to convey the sentiments of their character despite the language difference.
My only wish was that I had been a tiny bit closer to have seen the actor's expressions. But not at $150 a ticket. We still have to pay rent, Baz!
And thank you to Dave who got the hint and got the tickets. You rock.
Comments
Wow, can Franka Potente sing opera? I never would have imagined.
I hadn't thought about paying money to see the show, after seeing the DVD of the Australian production several years ago, mostly because I thought the show was somewhat emotionally sterile and couldn't decide whether that was Baz's fault or not. I guess I should rethink that.
I don't think Franka can do the opera thing, but I can dream, can't I? I have such a crush on her.
Anyway, I will agree that though the actors were technically very skilled and they did indicate their emotions, I didn't sense they really felt those emotions. In that way, I can agree with your assessment of sterility. I got the impression that it wasn't Baz' doing -- but perhaps the inexperience of young stars performing material they didn't truly connect with.