An opera about artists – and a production that fails to take artistic risks
First performed in 1896, La bohème is one of the most enduring operas ever – it is one of the most performed titles, and has spawned multiple adaptations, most famously the musicals Moulin Rouge! and Rent.
Thus, Scottish Opera’s latest offering is another in a long line of many. It is, unfortunately, just that and nothing more; a perfectly adequate production that does what you expect and never truly wows you or disappoints you in any way.
Giacomo Puccini’s La bohème centres on the lives and romances of a group of poor, artistic friends, namely people who live a Bohemian lifestyle. This production makes one of its few interesting choices by opening in modern-day Paris, filled with tourists running about and taking selfies, before transitioning to the original setting of the same locale but in the 19th century, directly drawing on the timeless nature of the story.
In fact, the ability of the production to recreate the atmosphere of Paris over a century ago is one of its few clear-cut strengths. The set design again parallels the current day with the past with its backdrop a postcard of the scenery, while the lighting is a constant moody blue that makes you feel the cold and the dark that the characters live in.
It is a tough world for the characters as they struggle with both material needs and emotional turmoil. Romantic jealousy and the lack of firewood exist side-by-side. The way this is painted on the characters brings up an interesting dynamic as they are not necessarily sympathetic characters but reside in sympathetic circumstances, but they still lack a certain complexity; they lack an adequate level of internality, and it means all the drama stemming from their relationships feel hollow. The emotional core of the piece suffers from this very same issue, and so when you are expected to react to it, you feel the manipulation of the creator’s heavy hand. This unpleasantness more than the unpleasant nature of the characters is what fails to endear them to you.
This is the fault of the source material and not the production itself. However, the production does not do itself any favours in its attempts, or lack of, to elevate this source material. Despite the intriguing opening, it does not do anything further with it, a microcosm of the inability to transcend beyond Puccini’s original vision. This goes for the performances too. Much like the rest of the production, they are competent and sometimes verging on something extra, but they never quite reach that next level.
That is not to say you will go away disappointed – but you also do not go away with a whole new appreciation for the artform. With the amount of showings of La bohème throughout history and still produced nowadays too, it feels like a missed opportunity to put on something that does not dive in with both feet and give it a real go.