La Bohéme as you’ve never seen it before; in 1970s Oz

Giacomo Puccini’s immortal opera, La Bohéme, has been reinterpreted umpteen ways since its debut in 1896, but it has never been set in the 1970s before, at least, not to the recollection of Maia Andrews. Andrews is playing Mimi in Opera Australia’s current touring production of La Bohéme, and it’s a whole new universe for the accomplished soprano. 

“Even in our movement and everything it’s a little bit more realistic,” says Andrews, commenting on this new staging and how different it is from a traditional opera production. 

“Every show you do, the costume affects the character massively. So wearing the flares, the aviators, the feather boas and the whole shebang definitely adds to it.” 

Director, Dean Bryant, is well versed in the sphere of musical theatre and he brings a lot of those sensibilities to this production of La Bohéme. He encourages the cast to relax and be more natural in their gestures, which actually works well for this opera whose characters are poor artists and students living a bohemian lifestyle. 

“The opera itself is veristic in nature in that it’s based on relatable characters and real people, not kings and queens and supernatural gods and that sort of thing,” says Andrews. 

Setting it in the 1970s helps make it feel modern, yet still gives it a sense of nostalgia and distance. It also allows for outrageous, colourful costumes and sets. Like the bohemia of the original story, the ‘70s was a time of rebellion, freedom, sexual liberation, so the time shift works perfectly. 

This production is being toured throughout regional NSW, Victoria and Tasmania, taking in 20 towns, some within big cities, some more rural. 

“We’re basically touring this show to people who may not really get the chance to see opera that often…a lot of these people haven’t seen opera at all before…and yeah, they’re loving it,” says Andrews, who clearly is also loving it. 

“It is a genuine pleasure to be able to travel with your work and you know, get to see all these parts of Australia and talk to these people after the shows. And it’s interesting what they gathered from it, so many different perspectives.”

What makes each show particularly special is that the children’s chorus is made up of a different group of children from each town. The children are selected from local choirs, scouts groups, schools or whatever make-up of roughly 20 kids aged 7 to 15 the town can get together. One of those kids even gets a solo. 

The response from audiences all round has been warm and enthusiastic. Even though the opera is still sung in Italian (with surtitles in English), and is in its original form in terms of story and music, audiences everywhere seem to be able to relate. 

“There’s a reason why it’s one of the most performed pieces in the world,” says Andrews. 

“I really don’t think you need to be a classical music lover or an opera devotee or whatever to be able to enjoy this show because it’s so beautiful; the music’s just gorgeous, the singers — there’s something quite visceral about hearing an unamplified voice in an acoustic setting.”

The tour is on its last leg with its only Sydney performance taking place at Riverside Theatre, Parramatta this Saturday. By all accounts, it is not to be missed. 

August 24
Riverside Theatres, Cnr Market and Church Sts, Parramatta
riversideparramatta.com.au