His poignant Act 4 “coat aria” carried genuine pathos.

Michael Lampard’s Schaunard was a flamboyant, witty stage presence, and Richard Anderson reprised his earthy Colline. His long-suffering housemate Marcello was Samuel Dundas, singing with both fervour and thoughtfulness. He has an extremely pleasing sense of phrasing, shown in his “Che gelida menina”, and his Rodolfo seemed like a sincerely nice man – the sort of Rodolfo an audience could get behind. His tenor was bloomingly even-toned, with a plush, dark lower register and a soaring top. A former Met Opera Lindemann Young Artist, and a finalist in the 2017 Cardiff Singer of the World competition, Wang is a rising star. The cast was strong, with Australian-Chinese tenor Kang Wang making his Opera Australia debut as Rodolfo. And with political commentators questioning whether our times bear more than a passing resemblance to Weimar days – with dramatic turns in world politics, immigration tensions, and capitalist excess looming on public consciousness now as they did then – it’s a pity the setting’s complexities aren’t more vividly realised.Īt heart though, La bohème draws audiences through its characters, and Edwards’ production is compelling in its human story. Nazis make the odd cameo appearance amongst the chorus, but their presence is merely tokenistic. It’s unclear why Act 3’s tollgate looks like a work camp or ration queue. None of it seems to impact the characters. But delve past the aesthetic, and the Weimar setting feels a bit superficial. Moments like these work best in Edwards’ Bohème. A vintage microphone is placed before her and, raising her gloved arms into a cabaret pose, she begins “Quando me'n vo'”.

Musetta appears, looking like Marlene Dietrich channelling Madonna. Act 2’s Café Momus is a fairy-lit cabaret club, draped with red velvet, jet-eyed dancing girls, and plumes of cigar smoke. The Latin Quarter is a green-and-brown jumble of shrieking hawker children, darting between the legs of stilt walkers peddling glittering wares from long, bright coats. Its creator sings from atop his painting ladder.īut it’s the crowd scenes that really shine, aided by a turntable stage that dizzyingly evokes the era's whirlwind hedonism. In Edwards' world, our bohemians inhabit a dramatic double-storey garret, where Marcello’s Red Sea painting isn’t the usual canvas-on-easel, but a giant Art Nouveau mural climbing the walls. Visually it packs a punch, with Brian Thomson’s lively sets, Julie Lynch’s detailed costuming, and John Rayment’s sensitive lighting.

La boheme opera australia