La Bohème
Singers sharing the tragedy and romance
Reviewers sometimes make mistakes. In April 1981, La Bohème was the first opera I had to cover and I thought my ignorance of the art form could be made up by research and by comparing what I saw with how someone else said it should be. Wrong!
Happily the error has never been repeated, even if my opinions since have not always agreed with others’. That will always happen but recently what I felt was shared by competition judges and I was told I was spot-on in what I said.
Lynda Smart will have been in the same position in the past with some of her crits for her own paper but, wearing her other hat, she too gets it exactly right as the director of this week’s production, the first time Stanley Opera have staged Puccini’s romantic tragedy at the Concordia Theatre since that time 29 years ago.
Things have moved on in those near three decades and the company and presentation are far more professional in every respect – including what is always one of the best programmes – which makes my job easier.
This production is unusual in that two singers, Rachel-Louise Stonehouse and Kirsty Anderson, share the role of Mimi on alternate days. They are contrasting Mimis, each with their merits, though I preferred Kirsty’s richer voice in a portrayal that seemed more in character than her fellow soprano – but that might just be me.
Things quickly settled into the quality regulars have come to expect from what are becoming familiar faces. Alexander Anderson-Hall (Rodolfo), Chris Marlow (Marcello), Andrew Robinson (Colline) and Joe Cerkeliunas (Schaunard) were all in great voice and later Nicola Bingham is suitably flirtatious and equally harmonious as the coquettish Musetta.
Not everyone will need the paper hankies given out with the programmes, but all who see this will appreciate a fine production and once again count themselves extremely fortunate to be able to see such a talented company on our doorstep.
Mitch Irving, The Hinckley Times, April 2010
