Some things, mercifully, do not change. Giacomo Puccini’s soaring, straight-to-the-heart score for his 1896 opera La Bohème is one of them. Is the world—or your world—upside down? Head for the opera house.
The libretto in this perennial favorite is dated at best, swerving between corny, chauvinistic attempts at humor and heavy-handed melodrama. (An excellent program essay by the Art Institute’s Gloria Groom puts it into perspective, illuminating still-relevant themes of sexism and inequity.) But at its core, La Bohème is about the beauty of life and love, and the universal tragedy of death. This is what the music gets exactly right.
La Bohème
Through 4/12: Wed 3/19 2 PM, Sat 3/22 7:30 PM, Tue 3/25 7 PM, Fri 3/28 7 PM, Mon 3/31 7 PM, Thu 4/3 2 PM, Sun 4/6 2 PM, Wed 4/9 7 PM, Sat 4/12 2 PM; audio description, guided touch tour, and SoundShirts available Sun 4/6; Lyric Opera, 20 N. Wacker, 312-827-5600, lyricopera.org; $59-$369; in Italian with English titles
The focus is on Mimì and Rodolfo, a star-crossed pair of young lovers living the “bohemian” starving artists’ life in 19th-century Paris (she makes silk flowers, he’s a poet). This lovely, traditional production, with sets by Gerard Howland, was originally conceived in 1993 by movie director Herbert Ross for the LA and Dallas Opera companies. Lyric has blessed it with a Rodolfo to die for: outstanding tenor Pene Pati, making his Chicago debut. His Mimì, who will, of course, do the dying, is gleaming soprano Ailyn Pérez. It’s a sublime match.
Soprano Gabriella Reyes is a force to be reckoned with as the freewheeling singer Musetta; baritone and Lyric regular Will Liverman is her long-suffering artist boyfriend, Marcello; bass Peixin Chen and baritone Ian Rucker are the philosopher and musician buddies who complete Rodolfo’s little group. The Lyric Opera Chorus and Uniting Voices Chicago (formerly known as Chicago Children’s Choir) light up a mobbed second-act Latin Quarter nightlife scene. Chicago native Melanie Bacaling makes her Lyric directorial debut; the Lyric Opera Orchestra is led by guest conductor Jordan de Souza.
Reader Recommends: THEATER & DANCE
Reader reviews of Chicago theater, dance, comedy, and performance arts.
Titaníque is a gag-filled retelling (by Céline Dion!) of James Cameron’s film.
Sunny Afternoon at Chicago Shakes celebrates the Kinks.
Helena & Hermia in the Enamored Odyssey is an enchanting new musical take on Shakespeare’s comedy.
Hannah and Halmoni Save the World offers a sweet intergenerational story at Filament.
The Newport Theater commits to everyone who walks through the doors.
Splash Hatch on the E Going Down tackles a raft of issues.
