In the marvelous production of La bohème at Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, Michael Shell’s brilliant direction brings out the stark contrast between what happens before and after the single intermission in his staging of Puccini’s masterpiece.
The first two acts celebrate the exuberance of bohemian life for four young artists who share a garret in Paris in the early 1950s (half a century later than the original setting). Despite their poverty, they live life to the fullest in the boisterous performances by Moisés Salazar as Rodolfo, Thomas Glass as Marcello, André Courville as Colline, and Titus Muzi III as Schaunard. Their acting is as convincing as their singing is beautiful. The music perfectly complements the action in the gorgeous playing of the St. Louis Symphony under conductor José Luis Gomez. The delicate moments are just as impressive as the climaxes.
Salazar and Katerina Burton as Mimì capture the urges and uncertainties of young people encountering the first stirrings of love. Their stunning Act 1 arias prompted rapturous applause on opening night. Shell provides a clever explanation of Mimi’s need for a candle.
Takeshi Kata’s scenic design for the garret has no walls or windows and a detailed cityscape in the background. The simplicity of some of the set pieces lets them have different functions in later acts. It was daring of Shell to begin resetting the stage during the start of the concluding love duet, but the decision pays off when the second act follows the first with no delay. Ensemble members who helped move the props also help Rodolfo and Mimì into their coats before they leave for the café. What an imaginative way to show how love has transported the couple!
The café scene is bursting with color and life thanks to new set pieces, Amanda Seymour’s costumes, Marcus Doshi’s lighting, and the ensemble’s exuberance in Seán Curran’s choreography. Brittany Renee throws herself into Musetta’s histrionics and is bewitching in her great waltz, which she sings into a microphone in the opera’s updated setting. Glass is a wonderful partner for Renee in the byplay between Marcello and Musetta, his former lover. As Alcindoro, Musetta’s current admirer, Robert Mellon is as gifted a comedian in Act 2 as he was in his Act 1 portrayal of the artists’ landlord, Benoit.
The tone changes dramatically after the intermission. The designs in Act 3 are as gray as the atmosphere. One of few uses of color is in a slogan painted on a wall in red: “l’amour est mort,” which means “love is dead.” The graffito sets the tone for the ominous scene that reveals Mimì’s illness and the crushing strain it has caused in her relationship with Rodolfo. At the end, Marcello and Musetta part in anger.
The scene is reset quickly for Act 4, in which virtually all the color is gone. The artists’ garret is presented from a different perspective than before. Except for shadows, the back wall is now blank, as are Marcello canvases, which were colorful in Act 1. The clothes are in shades of gray, and the bohemians’ antics are more restrained than before. Just as the first two acts are love’s beginning, the last two are love’s end.
La bohème continues through June 30 at the Loretto-Hilton Center, 139 Edgar Road. The running time is 2 hours 30 minutes, including one 25-minute intermission.
—Gerry Kowarsky
Photo © Eric Woolsey
From the left, Brittany Renee as Musetta, Thomas Glass as Marcello, André Courville as Colline, Titus Muzi III as Schaunard, Katerina Burton as Mimì, and Moisés Salazar as Rodolfo in La bohème.
