Opera Queensland presented a stunning, fully staged production of Puccini’s beloved opera La bohème in QPAC’s Lyric Theatre as part of Brisbane Festival 2025.
La bohème was first performed at Turin’s Teatro Regio in 1896, composed by Giacomo Puccini between 1893 and 1895 to an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa. The story, based on the episodic novel Scènes de la vie de bohème (1851) by Henri Murger, is set in Paris and follows a small group of bohemian friends, especially the turbulent love lives of two young couples.
The poet Rodolfo falls in love with his neighbour, a frail seamstress named Mimì. Rodolfo shares a small studio with Colline, a philosopher, Schaunard, a musician, and the painter Marcello, who continues a passionate on-again-off-again relationship with the fiery and beautiful Musetta. The bohemians take the audience on a journey through joy, tragedy, and youthful idealism as they struggle to live well and love one another in poverty and poetry.
La bohème has become one of the most frequently performed operas and inspired many works that have become classics in their own right, including Jonathan Larson’s musical Rent and Baz Luhrmann’s Moulin Rouge!. Directed by Matt Reuben James Ward, with Associate Director Laura Hansford, this production transplanted the story to Paris in the 1920s – like the 1830s of the original setting, a time of economic and political upheaval.
Australian soprano Elena Perroni and Italian tenor Valerio Borgioni made their Opera Queensland debuts as Mimì and Rodolfo, respectively. Perroni’s voice cut through me in its power and clarity, and her vocal control and emotional expression was very impressive. There was a sweet chemistry between their characters and Borgioni’s grief, and the tender consolation of his friends, at Mimì’s death brought me to tears.
Samuel Dundas, Jeremy Kleeman, and Luke Stoker rounded out the boisterous group of artists as Marcello, Schaunard, and Colline. These three characters and their mischief brought out much of the opera’s comedy. The youthful swagger and camaraderie between the four young men was uplifting in its own way, from the fake banquet in their cramped quarters to a playful faux duel that spilled outside into a snowball fight. Nina Korbe was a fierce, passionate Musetta, drawn back to the bohemians by her love and concern for Mimì as well as her affection for Marcello.
Puccini’s score was performed by the Queensland Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Chief Conductor Umberto Clerici. The Opera Queensland Chorus and Children’s Chorus became the citizens of Paris, resplendent in furs and jewels as they shopped and dined on Christmas Eve, or criss-crossing the sparse, snowy landscape of the later acts. The opera was sung in Italian, with English surtitles displayed above the stage.
Set and costume design by Charles Davis was magnificent – the glass-walled apartment shared by Rodolfo and Marcello was used on a revolve in the first two acts, transitioning from the artists’ studio to the Café Momus. The otherworldly setting – simultaneously central to the cityscape and isolated in a quiet, snowy woodland – broke apart into separate locations in the second half of the performance.
The revolve was also used to create a stronger sense of movement around the stage and for impactful character interactions, especially the initial parting of Mimì and Rodolfo. Tiny moments of detail added an extra shimmer of magic, like the way the falling snow turned to glitter in the moment that Mimì and Ridolfo fell in love.
Lighting by Christine Felmingham was exquisite, illuminating the glass house of the set with the golden glow of sunshine, the blue-white luminosity of a snowy evening, and the warm, flickering shadows of lamps and candles. Shifts in the lighting also created a clear scene transition as the bohemians entered Café Momus from the markets outside, and reflected icily on the smooth flooring outside.
La bohème depicts the paradox of restraint and freedom that the bohemians’ creative but impoverished life allows them, the simple pleasures they enjoy and the ways they take care of one another. Opera Queensland’s La bohème is a stunning rendering of a timeless tale – while the romantic love between Rodolfo and Mimì is at the centre, this is also a moving story about the sustaining love of friends and community through dark times and dire circumstances.
La bohème played at the Lyric Theatre, QPAC, from 4 – 13 September 2025
For further information, visit the Opera Queensland website
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