Ellen Kent's La Bohème

LA BOHEME IS BEYOND BEAUTIFUL.

Having never seen an opera live before, I didn’t know what to expect from this show. I have, of course, heard of the wonderful work of Puccini and was very excited to see what the Ukrainian Opera And Ballet Theatre, directed by Ellen Kent, would bring. And I have to say, I was not disappointed.

The story, the inspiration for parts of the musical Rent, is simple but beautifully tragic. Act One introduces us to poet Rodolfo (Davit Sumbadze - La Triviata, Rigoletto) and his
roommate Marcello (Iurie Gisca - Carmen, Madama Butterfly) who are living in an attic in poverty, on Christmas eve. They are visited by friends Schaunard (Vitalii Cebotari - Don
Giovanni, Barber of Saville), a musician who has come bearing gifts of food and drink, and philosopher Colline (Valeriu Cojocaru - Aida, Nabucco). They are visited by the landlord,
Benoit (Eugeniu Ganea) who demands the rent but they taunt him, instead, for his wandering eye. Once they kick him out, they decide to go out for food, only Rodolfo stays behind to finish his work. There is a knock on the door and it is Mimi (Elena Dee - Madama Butterfly, Aida) who needs Rodolfo to light her candle for her. They get to know each other, after Mimi loses her key in the dark and they fall in love.

The second act takes place in a small square outside a cafe, where the group, along with Mimi, have decided to eat. Rodolfo gifts Mimi with a pink bonnet. Marcello is enraged when his old flame, Musetta (Viktoria Melnyk - Carmen, La Triviata) shows up with the wealthy man she left him for. They rekindle their relationship and make the wealthy man pay the bill for them all.

The third act occurs a couple of months later, where Mimi has ventured out to speak to Marcello about how overprotective and jealous Rodolfo is acting towards her. Whilst Rodolfo is still asleep at the inn where Marcello and Musetta have been working, they discuss the issues. Once he awakes, Mimi hides and Rodolfo tells Marcello that he is jealous of the attention Mimi gets but also that he is worried about her health, which is getting increasingly worse. Mimi reveals herself and the pair then decide to go their separate ways. Whilst this is happening, Marcello and Musetta have an argument which causes them to break things off too.

Act four begins as act one does, with Rodolfo and Marcello in their attic room, trying to work, both of them pining for their loves that they let go. Schaunard and Colline arrive to try and cheer them up with some food and dancing, but they are interrupted when Musetta arrives, informing them that Mimi is at the bottom of the stairs, unable to climb them because of how ill she is. Rodolfo goes to get her and they put her in bed. She is cold and says she wishes for something to warm her hands. Rekindling their relationship a little, Marcello and Musetta leave to get her a muff and to sell possessions so they can afford a doctor. Whilst Mimi and Rodolfo are left alone, they tell each other they love one another and Mimi tells him she wants to be with him, knowing she is going to die. Musetta and Marcello return with a muff to warm her hands and the news that the doctor is on his way. Rodolfo gives Mimi the pink bonnet, which he has kept, and she slowly slips away, happy that she is warm and with Rodolfo.

As someone who doesn’t speak Italian, I was worried that I wouldn’t have a clue what was going on. Luckily, there was a subtitles screen hanging from the top of the stage, so I could
understand what was happening at all times. The talent that was on show throughout the whole performance was beyond beautiful. The way that the whole cast sang and poured their hearts out was truly mesmerising. The set was beautiful, with the attic room showing different roofs and the small area they had to share, which was cluttered with quirky objects, my favourite being a skeleton that had a hat and scarf on. The square was amazing, with the tables and market stalls set out at each side of the stage and a guy on stilts that was giving out balloons to the youngest members of the ensemble. Outside the inn was also phenomenal with falling snow and a bench that sat under a tree. All of the sets really helped you to place where each act was happening and, with it being in a different language, made it easier to understand the action. The difference in lighting, too, that showed the attic room in darkness with a blue hue that made you feel cold just looking at it, compared to it being drenched in light at the end of the show, really brought it that full circle.

My absolute favourite thing about the square was the inclusion of a four-legged actor, Milo. A dog who played the role of Musetta’s beau’s dog. He was beautiful and had the audience
captivated with his tricks and his adorable floppy ears. They say that you shouldn’t work with children or animals but both Milo and the children on stage were wonderful. Davit Sumbadze as Rodolfo was sublime. The power in his voice was just incredible and his quirky movements really brought the character to life. He was incredible in the final act, as he sang and cried. It was really quite moving. A woman sitting behind me, in the audience, was sniffling into a tissue and I could see why. Elena Dee as Mimi - wow! As a soprano, she
belted out incredibly high and difficult notes like it was nothing and made it look so easy. Her portrayal of Mimi, as she became more unwell, was subtle but just enough. I adored her.
Iurie Gisca as Marcello was larger than life and hilarious but switched, during the more serious moments, seamlessly. His vocals, again, were absolutely phenomenal. I loved his
dancing, too, in the final act. It was just so funny. His facial expressions just lit up the stage and had me giggling. Vitalii Cebotari was larger than life as the musician Schaunard. He
was funny, enthusiastic and simply a marvel to watch. He and Valeriu Cojocaru as Colline brought the funny to the macabre. And, last but certainly not least, the wonderfully talented Viktoria Melnyk as the flirtatious and quite cheeky Musetta. Everytime she appeared, you couldn’t help but smile. Again, she made those insanely high and tricky notes seem
unbelievably easy and she did it with a wonderful flare. The difference between her character, in the square, as a woman who was with a rich man to try and climb the society ladder, and the woman who was losing her friend, in act four, was simply heartbreaking. It was played so well.

At the end of the show, the cast sang the Ukrainian National Anthem, which had the audience up on their feet in solidarity. It was such a beautiful moment to end the show and you could tell that the singers all appreciated the love that the audience showed them. It was really moving. The Ukrainian Opera And Ballet Theatre is at the Manchester Opera House on the 22nd and 23rd of February with Madame Butterfly and La Traviata respectively. Even if you have never seen an opera before, like me, then I would definitely say it is something worth giving a go. You might just find yourself very surprised. I certainly did.

WE SCORE LA BOHEME ...