"Cara Consilvio, directing her second this weeksince 2017 at Portland Opera, said she is thrilled if an operagoer leaves everyday life behind to travel to the world onstage. In La Bohème's case, she loves it when audiences can immerse themselves for a couple of hours in Giacomo Puccini's music, in the entireproduction. So often that doesn't happen when distractions and disappointments emerge that include such crucial elements as miscast singers, poorly executed music, corny plots, goofy or hard-to-follow libretti, lighting that undoes the mood, or an orchestra that is out of sync with the singers."
"In this Bohème, there were no distractions or misfits. All parts fit together. Like many opera fans, I've seen this one several times, always preparing myself for lapses of attention, but they didn't set in. When put together as well as it was Nov. 15, a traditional, often-staged opera like La Bohème proves its lasting power. It just doesn't get old."
"The 2-hour-and-45-minute performance, not including two intermissions and one "pause" (a short intermission), is PO's seasonal blockbuster. Sung in Italian with English supertitles, it opened for three performances Nov. 15 (other shows are Nov. 21 and Nov. 23) at the 2,992-seat Keller Auditorium, a hard place to fill. Though the "room" wasn't sold-out, a substantial audience showed fervent enthusiasm. Many were dressed to the nines in Parisian chic, if without the 1890's mutton sleeves."
The production invited audiences to leave everyday life and immerse in Puccini's music and the complete staging. Common distractions — miscast singers, poorly executed music, corny plots, confusing libretti, poor lighting, or an orchestra out of sync — were absent. All elements fit together and sustained attention across the 2-hour-45-minute performance (not counting intermissions). Sung in Italian with English supertitles, the show played Nov. 15 at the 2,992-seat Keller Auditorium to an enthusiastic, partially costumed audience. Skillful direction, choreography, lighting, acting, singing, and intricate gray gritty sets conveyed the poverty and spirit of 1890s Bohemian artists.
Read at Oregon ArtsWatch * Arts & Culture News
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