Utah Opera gives 'La Boheme' an updated look

The Utah Opera opens its new season Saturday with Giacomo Puccini's much loved and enduring classic "La Boheme."

The story revolves around a group of poor young artists in Paris one of whom, Rodolfo, falls in love with the beautiful but frail Mimi. Their love is shortlived, however, as Mimi is dying from tuberculosis, an illness suffered by many operatic heroines. In the end, Mimi succumbs in Rodolfo's arms as his friends try to console him.

"It's a story about interpersonal relationships and how young people handle it through their passion," said tenor Gerard Powers who returns to Utah Opera to sing Rodolfo.

"The interplay among these characters is what this opera work."

Powers, soprano Laquita Mitchell, stage director Crystal Manich and conductor Leonardo Vordoni met recently with the Deseret News in Abravanel Hall to discuss the upcoming production of "La Boh?e," which runs in the Capitol Theatre through Oct. 24.

Originally set in 1840s Paris, this production has been moved up a century to the Paris of 1939, shortly after the outbreak of World War II and before the Nazi occupation of France.

"The change in time period doesn't affect the overall effectiveness of the story," Manich said.

"The story is about love, illness and breaking up. It's about relationships and two people finding each other."

Manich believes that changing the setting to the 20th century allows audiences today to connect with the story a little bit better.

"The story is ageless so nothing is lost putting it in 1939."

Vordoni agrees with Manich. "Having the story updated makes it even more effective," he said. "It makes it fresh and timeless. And it certainly won't affect my view of the work."

This will be the Italian born conductor's first "La Boheme," although he has worked on it for years. And he always manages to find something new in the music. "It is amazing," he said. "I keep finding so many nuances in the score. It never gets old."

Nor does the fact that the opera has never left the repertoire since its premiere in 1896 and is one of the most popular operas ever written. If anything, Vordoni relishes this long tradition that has been built up behind the work.