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It would be hard to choose a better introduction to opera than Puccini’s tragicomic celebration of young love in poverty, with its accessible music, direct dialogue and realistic scenario. I’d find it almost as hard to imagine a better introduction to La Bohème than this production, sung in witty English verse by skilled and attractive actor-vocalists who are really about the age of the lovable starving artists they represent. Add the informality of Ash Lawn’s outdoor theater, the beautiful views and the tradition of pre-curtain picnicking on the grounds, and you have the perfect occasion for easing a neophyte into the grandest of dramatic genres. Those who need a pop-culture toehold will recognize the source of the musical Rent and (one hopes) acknowledge its superiority to the knock-off.
 Ash Lawn Opera translated a chilly Christmas in Paris to a balmy summer night at James Madison’s digs in La Bohème. |
But this Bohème is more than an initiation for the opera-deprived. Even if you know the work well, don’t be surprised if you come away newly charmed by its artistry and sheer good-heartedness. An August evening outdoors in Virginia may seem an unlikely setting for a Parisian tale in which cold, winter and Christmas play such prominent roles. But stage director Patrick Hansen makes the illusion work, despite the rudimentary technical resources at the disposal of the designers and cast (not to mention the distractions of humidity, thunder, lightning, cicadas, crickets and bats).
Indeed, Ash Lawn’s limitations rather suit this story of want and illness, establishing an intimacy between cast and audience impossible in larger theaters. Even on the strictly musical level, the tiny orchestra (under the baton of Brian DeMaris) may reveal details of Puccini’s score less audible to listeners in an opera house.
All four principal singers deliver satisfying performances. Daniel Holmes and Gregory Gerbrandt are vocally and dramatically strong as the poet Rodolfo and the painter Marcello; the sweet-voiced Carelle Flores is a convincingly shy and consumptive Mimi; Kate Mangiameli sparkles as the coloratura gold-digger with the heart of—well, gold. Of the other bohemians, Ross Benoliel is the life of comic scenes with his elfish portrayal of the musician Schaunard, and basso Matt Boehler does full justice to Colline’s two-minute farewell to his overcoat near the end of Act IV. The ensemble singers of Act II, including the children’s chorus, are as well prepared and lively as one could hope.
Ash Lawn Opera is especially to be commended for eschewing the electric amplification that is increasingly common in American opera, indoors and out—thus preserving one of the chief "wow" factors capable of attracting new fans: the unaided volume and projection of classically trained voices.