La Bohème: AKA “The Hipsters”
Reviewed by Julia Lloyd George
Pacific Opera Project
Through December 14
RECOMMENDED
La Bohème is an opera that’s left no shortage of adaptations in its wake. Rent is probably the most famous of them, and the one which this playful hipster version of Giacomo Puccini’s original seems closest to.
Set in modern-day Highland Park and revolving around a recognizably eclectic group of struggling artists who cavort around town, pursue romance, and just try to survive, it combines the trappings of a traditional opera with the accessible irreverence of a homegrown, contemporary satire. While this unlikely marriage leads to a couple of tonal misfires, Pacific Opera Project’s La Bohème: AKA “The Hipsters” is an undeniably fun night at the theater that should not be missed.
Staged in the historic Highland Park Ebell Club, the production has the high rafters and intimacy of a small-town chapel but the casual bawdiness of a cabaret show. Instead of traditional row-by-row seating, there are little round tables that you can book with a bottle of wine and some food, adding to the warm and welcoming atmosphere.
In keeping with the DIY theme, there is no orchestra befitting a traditional opera, only a humble background piano that allows for greater focus on the performers’ vocal talents. Rather than leaving the audience to decipher the Italian, the producers have chosen to project English subtitles above the stage. This was definitely my favorite feature of the show: The often silly, contemporary dialogue of Highland Park hipsters, conjoined with impeccable Italian singing, consistently made for comedic gold.
The production is definitely at its strongest when it leans into the whimsy of its premise. I’d argue that the best scene is the dramatic entrance, at a restaurant, of Musetta (an excellent Maria Dominique Lopez), and her seductive ploy to win back her morose graphic designer ex, Marcello (Kenneth Stavert), by parading her current wealthy boyfriend in front of him. While it’s evidently difficult to adapt La Bohème into a straight comedy, I would have loved to see more of that kind of humor come through.
The central romance between aspiring screenwriter Rodolfo (Orson Van Gay II) and freelance silk flower-maker (yes, that is her job) Mimi (Janet Szepei Todd) has obvious appeal and irresistible sweetness, but their tragic fate carries far less emotional weight than I had expected. While both actors are fantastic and Todd is an enormously talented soprano, it is difficult to get invested in their romance. Their conversations are a little too heightened and sentimental to feel realistic; grounding the dialogue a little more would have helped, even if the result were slightly less operatic.
Mimi’s illness is also an element of the show that doesn’t translate to this adaptation very well; even though she shows signs of ailing from her very first appearance, no one thinks to get her medicine or a doctor until she is literally at death’s door. That final scene is a little drawn out, as well; there is definitely room to cut down on the run time in future.
Despite these shortcomings, this La Bohème is easily the most affordable, accessible, and hilarious opera in town. I mean that without a hint of irony.
Highland Park Ebell Club, 131 S. Ave. 57, Highland Park; Wed., Thurs.-Sat., 8 p.m.; through Dec. 14. www.pacificoperaproject.com. Running time: two hours, 20 minutes with three brief intermissions.
