Presented by Lung Ha Theatre Company, Scottish Opera for All and Edinburgh City Council Education
La Bohème tells the story of a group of young artists, musicians and writers struggling to survive in Paris in the middle of the last century. There are two parallel love affairs going on: Marcello the painter and his temperamental girlfriend Musetta are constantly (and simultaneously) at love and war while the poet Rudolpho falls for a shy and gentle girl named Mimi who lives next door. Despite the cold, the poverty and the lack of commercial success, the students manage to enjoy life to the full. However, a threatening cloud looms on their carefree horizon when Mimi falls prey to a deadly illness.
Festival Theatre, Edinburgh: 09 April 1999
Reviews
“The La Bohème project had the luxury of grand design – Michael Yeargan’s stunning set, complete with snow and Characteristic “letter box” curtains, large cast. The beauty of tackling Opera is that fourteen performers were involved, their range of abilities spanning chorus, principles, and even an on-stage conductor.All the elements of Opera were here. The theatricality of Puccini’s famous story, the score stripped down to piano, flute and percussion, with the cast joining in with musicians Roger Glass and Andrew Cruikshank at one point, and choreography by Janice Parker.If the tragedy of Mimi and Rudolpho was less striking than in other Bohemes that was only because everyone was obviously having so much fun.”
Keith Bruce – The Herald