Washington National Opera’s current production of La Bohème is many things. This popular choice offers a homecoming for fans of classic opera; it is click-bait to hook new fans; it is a showcase for young opera stars; it is an opportunity to hear some of the most beautiful music ever composed; and it is a fitting dessert, a sweet ending for WNO’s 2022-2023 season. The performance Monday night was Puccini at his likable best, comfort food for fans of opera. I have now seen La Bohème frontwards, backwards, and as remembered by Rodolfo, and it’s all good. The story and music hold up well as companies and director’s infuse novelty into their productions of an opera that has been regularly performed by almost every opera company since its premiere in 1896.
Mimi (Gabriella Reyes) and Rodolfo (Kang Wang) search for her key on the floor and find love. Photo by Scott Suchman; courtesy of Washington National Opera.
Let’s begin with the story, and if you are an opera newbie, be warned that there are spoilers ahead. Giacomo Puccini and librettist Luigi Illica developed the story line from tales of bohemian friends and acquaintances related by author Henry Murger in his book, Scènes de la vie de bohème (1896). The opera has four acts, each a stage of the love affair between the poet and playwright Rodolfo and the seamstress with a cough Mimi, which takes place in a bohemian community in Paris. In act I, we meet Rodolfo and his good friends and compatriots in art, Marcello the painter, Schaunard the musician, and Colline the philosopher, all leading impoverished lives to devote themselves to their art, feeling they have the “soul of a millionaire” while unable to pay for heat in winter’s cold. Their comradery is further demonstrated in their comic attempt to dispose of landlord Benoit’s attempt to collect the rent. We also meet Mimi who is to become the love of Rodolfo’s life. In act II, our lovers further bond at a festive and lively Christmas Eve dinner at Café Momus, and we meet Marcello’s love interest Musetta as they bicker and reunite. In act III, Musetta and Marcello continue their tempestuous ways while Mimi and Rodolfo have become estranged though still deeply in love. In act IV, the deathly ill Mimi and Rodolfo reunite while their friends can only offer comfort as Mimi dies.
Musetta (Jacqueline Echols) takes the stage at Cafè Momus to sing “Quando me’n vo” as her wealthy benefactor, Alcindoro (Peter Rose) looks on from the lower right. Photo by Scott Suchman; courtesy of Washington National Opera.
WNO’s La Bohème is set in post-WWI Paris of the 1920s, also a time when artists came to Paris to develop their skills, commune with like-minded souls, and become world famous. WNO chose to revive their 2014 production by Jo Davies, using the lavish sets and detailed costumes from those performances. The sets, costumes, and staging under new direction of Peter Kazaras were quite impressive and effective in presenting a classic production of Puccini’s opera. My one wish for La Bohème’s staging is that the stage director would add a character to begin act III who, in poetic terms, prepares the audience for the shift from the warmth of Christmas Eve to the icy cold waters of act III. Puccini and Illica had prepared another act to transition more smoothly between acts II and III but decided not to use it. I find that having now viewed the opera multiple times, I can better appreciate the power and beauty of act III in the moment. There are also some small jolts in transition from act III to IV, such as the lovers all being separated in the beginning. Nonetheless, the opera has so much to offer that the classic staging certainly works well.
The classic production also works well when the singers can communicate their individual charms as well as their group comradery with both acting and singing. WNO’s production gets high marks on this aspect with a bevy of young opera stars with strong voices who fit the molds laid out by Puccini and Illica. Mimi is portrayed by soprano Gabriella Reyes, tagged for stardom, who had two performances in Met Opera’s 2021-2022 season. For Bohème to work you must like Mimi. Ms. Reyes made her easy to love as she explains to the poet Rodolfo in poetic terms the simple life she leads and why she loves to embroider flowers. Award winning tenor Kang Wang, previously seen in WNO’s Cosí fan tutte, was her match in warmth and passion. Marcello played by baritone Gihoon Kim and Musetta sung by soprano Jacqueline Echols were an amusing and ultimately, an endearing couple with their relationship accentuated by love-warfare. I have seen La Bohème enough that I enjoy it relatively tension free. For this performance, it was so nice to be able to just sit back and listen to the beautiful singing coming forward from this cast; all of them stood out.
The four bohemian friends, (l to r) Schaunard (Blake Denson), Marcello (Gihoon Kim), Rodolfo (Kang Wang), and Colline (Peixin Chen), have a moment of play. Photo by Scott Suchman; courtesy of Washington National Opera.
Rodolfo’s compatriots, Schaunard and Colline were ably and enjoyably played by baritone Blake Denson and bass Peixin Chen in completing the circle of friends. Bass Peter Rose played the roles of both the landlord Benoit and Musetta’s wealthy benefactor, Alcindoro; he made both comic treats. The other players of minor roles, and the WNO Chorus as singers and supernumeraries contributed to the effectiveness and enjoyment of the performance, though I thought the chorus in the Café Momus scene seemed a little underutilized.
I thought the music in WNO’s La Bohéme was superb as played by the WNO Orchestra under the direction of guest conductor, Alevtina Ioffe, in her WNO debut. The music played a strong role in the effectiveness and likability of this performance, so crisp and clear, painting scenes with strokes of color and beauty, never dominant and never too distant. The music warned us when trouble lay ahead and then reassured us that love was still the guiding light. I became consciously aware several times in the performance of how much I was enjoying the music. I wish I had a recording to hear this musical performance again.
Rodolfo (Kang Wang) and Mimi (Gabriella Reyes) have renewed their vows of undying love at the end. Photo by Scott Suchman; courtesy of Washington National Opera.
I sometimes ask myself if I want to see yet another performance of La Bohéme as I do for many of the popular classic operas, but I attend La Bohème again, and on the way home, I feel all warm and toasty inside, like someone gave me a warm blanket on a cold winter’s night.
The Fan Experience: Performances of La Bohéme were scheduled for May 13, 14, 15, 19, 21, 24, 26, and 27; Cafritz Young Artists were scheduled to perform the principal roles on May 13 and 26. The opera is sung in Italian with supertitles shown overhead in English. May 19 is WNO’s Pride Night Out, with ticket savings and a private champagne intermission event. Performance information and tickets can be accessed at this link. Neither masking nor proof of vaccination is required to attend performances.
Half hour pre-opera talks are given to ticket holders one hour before performances. Post-performance question and answer sessions were scheduled with members of the cast on May 14, 15, and 21.
Parking in the Kennedy Center is typically plentiful at around $25 per day, with a small discount for Kennedy Center members when reserved ahead of the day. The Metro to Foggy Bottom and the free Red Kennedy Center buses from there to the Kennedy Center which run every 15 minutes are an excellent option. There are snack stands in the main lobby, and on the Terrace level, the KC Café offers food cafeteria style at moderate prices; fine dining is available on the Terrace level in the Roof Terrace Restaurant.
There are many side activities to attend at the Kennedy Center. Mini-concert, free performances are scheduled on the Millennium Stages at either end of the main floor foyer. There also is a still new, permanent exhibit on John F. Kennedy’s life and support for the arts on the Terrace Level. The REACH is a modern addition to the Kennedy Center that offers numerous activities.