Director’s Notes: La Bohème
La bohème is one of the most loved and popular pieces of the operatic canon, a piece about the heartbreaking love story of Mimì and Rodolfo, the turbulent relationship of Marcello and Musetta, and the friendship of four young artists who live on the fringes of society, dreaming big dreams but with little discipline to realize them. It is also a study of artistic and personal growth and of change and its effects.
There are many themes that make this masterpiece so captivating to me.
It’s fascinating how well depicted is the ethos of a group of people living on the edge of bourgeois society. Their resilience and adaptability, their sense of community and solidarity. Their resourcefulness and creativity know no bounds.
And yet, their bohemian world can be full of false hopes – or as Marcello puts it in Act 2 – “O bella eta d’inganni e d’utopie” (“oh beautiful age of deceptions and utopias”). Marcello, the most level headed amongst them is encouraging or warning his friends to not trust their carefree bohemian life – their fragile ecosystem can be destroyed anytime, for it is built on a world of false dreams.
In a proper archetypal character construction, they will have to undergo trials and tribulations that are going to transform them. They will be subjected to a coming of age, they will mature through the experience of loss, despair, and disappointment. An unexpected tragedy will hit them and they will realize very quickly that life can give and take away in equal measure, that emotional life is precious, that their work needs to be carried on with seriousness and discipline if it’s ever going to be successful, that maturity and artistic growth go hand in hand, and that their relationships are going to be tested again and again.
All these themes seems so relevant to us today, hence the decision to set the action in a contemporary time frame. What I love about La bohème is that Puccini creates a world of “cosettine,” a world of small things that collectively create meaningful experiences of raw emotionality. It’s not world shattering events that become the vehicle for amplified passions but rather the tender and poignant moments of human intimacy. A slice of life is presented to us under the Parisian sky, the audience has almost a voyeuristic experience looking at the life of others – their troubles, their hopes, and the tender and harsh way to navigate it all.
Paris becomes a character per se. I remember my days as a music and theatre student in Paris, living in a little “chambre de bonne” on the fourth floor of a Hausmannian apartment building in the 11th arrondissement. My young self was hungry to discover the city and Paris didn’t disappoint…for an artsy student the fascination was endless, the city was full of surprises and opportunities and I was shaped by the se unique circumstances, values, and experiences. But the bohemian life is not all rosy – the city will equally raise and crush you. Life is like a river, the flow will continue and strong currents will either lead you to extraordinary places or drown you in its depths. The choice is yours – how you navigate, what you choose as a guide, and how serious your will for adventure is.
In Puccini’s La bohème, the transformation from youthful innocence to maturity prevails, and in the process this piece becomes the most heartwarming and heartbreaking operatic experience.
Rodula Gaitanou London, March 2024