Judging by the applause at the curtain, the almost full house was delighted with the Welsh National Opera’s performance of Puccini’s La bohème.
Possibly the most performed opera in the world, constantly ranking in the top ten, it’s a story of the love that builds between a variety of characters only for the perils of ill-health to pull it from the clutching grasp of their cold, hungry hands.
You cannot fault the singers, they sang with passion and anguish, bringing humour and pathos to almost every scene.
WNO’s version boasts an international cast led by Alexia Voulgaridou (Mimì) and Carlos Cardoso (Rodolfo), alongside Navasard Hakobyan (Marcello) and Sofia Kirwan-Baez (Musetta).
And the males also form a strong bond with Owain Rowlands and Ross Fettes who take the roles of Schaunard and Colline respectively.
The orchestra was note perfect under the guiding baton of Corinna Niemeyer and filled Mayflower Theatre with luscious tones of warmth and despair.
There was a space towards the end where I was swept up in their majestic waves, almost a "pinch me" moment where you are sitting there thinking “this is what live music is all about!”
And the set!
WNO La bohème photo by credit Kirsten Mcternan
A paved road,on the brow of a hill, various tones of ominous grey, hemmed in with two oppressive walls, focusing your attention like horses’ blinkers to the story unfolding below.
And what was especially effective was the pure black background of shadow that the cast would appear from.
Everyone came out or went back into the dark Parisian world that was cast like loaded dice before us. No one was going to survive this story.
However, as you can probably surmise, there is a “but” on the horizon.
WNO La bohème photo by credit Kirsten Mcternan
Death stalks us all, just a couple of paces behind and most of the time we are not aware of it.
But when Death is introduced so early into a performance, as the shadowy figure attached to the ailing heroine, there is no suggestion or possibility that she will recover, no chance that the relationship might make it.
“When?” becomes the overiding thought in your mind, and in a story where love and possible loss are a central theme, a little bit of hope goes a long way.
Outside of the theatre we’ve entered a world where AI and special effects are being thrust upon us and I will repeat again and again that live entertainment is the future.
The theatre is a place where you can get that ‘human’ experience, a connection like no other, and for tonight’s audience the WNO’s La bohème was great entertainment.
