As part of its UK tour, Giacomo Puccini’s partly autobiographical opera, La Boheme stopped in Bradford where LEO OWEN caught the show

MAKING Romeo and Juliet’s whirlwind romance seem positively cautious, Puccini’s lovers move from a chance encounter to self-destructive claustrophobia in a matter of minutes. In the darkness of his friend’s flat, writer, Rodolfo (Vitali Liskovetskyi) meets ailing neighbour Mimi (Alyona Kistenyova). Exceedingly contrived “get to knows” and key fumbling set in motion their ill-fated love story, the show’s skeletal plot.

The ups and downs of their affair is far from scintillating with badly synced lyrics/music doing little to pique interest. In fact, the sound jars so badly, it is frankly difficult to fathom how something so fundamental to the theatrical genre could be massively over-looked. In addition, singers are consistently overpowered by musicians, making it reasonable to assume dual rehearsals were sacrificed.

It is Nadezhda Shvets’ elaborate set designs that salvage a show lacking substance. Opening inside artist Marcello’s (Iurie Gisca) house with autumnal hues and a backdrop of chocolate box houses, Shvets’ vision shifts to a Paris market scene, complete with its own Eiffel Tower and impressionist trees, and a no-expenses-spared fabulous wintery snow-covered scene.

Opera is famously self-indulgent and sections of La Boheme adhere to this trademark with lengthy songs devoted to over-egging the cold weather. Having said this, Ellen Kent’s production doesn’t drag, arguably highlighting Puccini’s unnecessary economy: it’s more like a series of snapshots or the vignettes Pucinni is said to have based the opera on.

Although based upon folk he knew, his characters sadly feel two dimensional and their relationships unbelievable. That said, light-hearted farcical scenes between the “bohemians”, strong vocals from the two female leads (Kistenyova and Olga Perrier) and a final solo from Philosopher, Colline (Vadym Chernihovskiy), manage to bring to life an otherwise beige show.

La Boheme stopped at The Alhambra Theatre on Monday, February 6 before continuing its UK tour: http://www.ellenkent.com/whats-on/