Divas on Demand presented a most exciting production that reimagined the classic story of La Boheme. Under the deft direction of Nathan Gilkes, the Boheme Musetta and Rodolfo are blended with their future selves remembering the past and celebrating the life changing, at times, devastating power of love.
It becomes an immersive event with the audience is led through various spaces of the Independent Theatre – eg the main lobby , the foyer, outside, the cast using the fire escape staircase etc.
Musical director and arranger Wendy Dixon on electronic keyboard has created an excellent score mostly using the main ‘set pieces’ of the much loved opera as but also incorporating for instance The Andrews Sisters hits and also including guitar (Grant Sambells).Also, in another twist, Marcello here becomes Marcella.
The stylish costumes are either roughly circa early 1900’s for the ‘Boheme’ characters or the 1940’s for the ‘future’ ones .There was minimal staging , the ‘set’ being generally part of the venue we were in, apart from the very sad end with a sofa blanket and cushion for poor Mimi.
The show began in the lower foyer bar in the future (1940’s) with Musetta and her friends The Midinettes working as cafe singers.
Dream references lead the audience to “The Story of Mimi” and to the meeting of Rodolfo and Mimi – with them trying to find the key, candle and matches and the romantic ‘ Your Tiny Hand is Frozen’ (Che gelida manina).
As Musetta and the Midinettes call us into the Cafe Momus, (the main entrance foyer) ‘future’ Rodolfo recalls the magic of their first meeting and Lucia ( the ‘real’ Mimi ) joins him within his memory. Once we are seated, Parpignol (Josie Lister ) darts in , scattering chocolates , and the friends all demand their Christmas presents before the Musetta of the past (Mikalya Tate )enters. Past and future intersect as the friends reenact Musetta’s famous aria and their various responses.Tate charismatically steals the scene as Musetta .
We move from the main foyer to sitting at the tables at the side of the theatre outside as we follow how Mimi and Rodolfo plan to separate. The friends remember how they chose to remain together until Spring, while Musetta and Marcella have an explosive argument.
Eventually the audience returns to Rodolfo’s quarters for Mimi’s dramatic, tragically ill return and the heartrending conclusion . Past, future and memory blur and intersect as we see Mimi and Rodolfo in ‘realtime’ and yet also simultaneously we follow the memories of the friends as they poignantly revisit Mimi’s final moments.
As Mimi Olivia Morberger was excellent, charming, sweet and in glorious soaring voice. Brilliantly acted as well , you could see her become ill and fragile. Suzi Stengel as Lucia and Natalia Melnik as Marcella gave fine performances. Ceri Aubrey as the future Rodolfo and Jamie Oberg as Antonio: also gave sterling supporting performances and were in magnificent voice.
However our Boheme Rodolfo was I am afraid disappointing. Eric Chai had great stage charisma however his strength of vocal tone and even tuning at times were not consistently as active or on point as one would hope for or has heard previously as demanded by this role.
A quite powerful and unusual reworking of this much loved romantic opera.
Running time just over an hour no interval
BOHEME A PIACERE played the Independent Theatre on 10th and 11th November 2018.
http://www.theindependent.org.au/Events/Divas-on-Demand/Boh%C3%A8me%2C-a-piacere-
Cast
Future Musetta: Andrea Quaglia
Lucia: Suzi Stengel
Marcella: Natalia Melnik
Boheme Mimi: Olivia Morberger
Boheme Rodolfo: Eric Chai
Boheme Musetta: Mikalya Tate
Future Rodolfo: Ceri Aubrey
Antonio: Jamie Oberg
Parpignol: Josie Lister
Stage management: Natalie Rose Cassaniti
Guitarist: Grant Sambells
Pianist, Musical Director, Arranger & Writer: Wendy Dixon
Director: Nathan Gilkes
For more about Boheme a Piacere, visit {Website:10}