June 29 2011

Volkskrant
28 May 2011
By Bela Luttmer

Ugliness with a function

The National Reisopera’s new production put the spectator firmly to the test. Giacomo Puccini’s hit opera La Bohème began with a tableau whose harsh ugliness was characteristic of the scenery in game shows on the Italian TV channel RAI Uno. No sooner had we got over the bright blue backdrop with its glaring white text than there was a scene that took place around a gigantic mountain of presents; an immense toy rabbit suggested the seductive arts of blond-wigged night club dancers on top of the packages. This was the place where the bohemians Rodolfo (Rafael Dávila) and Marcello (Thomas Oliemans) celebrated life with their friends. Rodolfo’s newly-won love, Mimi (Anita Watson), was ill-at-ease there but Musetta (Stephanie Corley) was letting it all hang out, dancing in a red playsuit on a long table and making her old, rich lover look ridiculous. She sang her aria Quando m’en va with a coarseness that matched the surroundings.

After the interval, it became clear that the ugliness had a function. The director Stephen Langridge, a familiar name at the Reisopera, mirrored the superficiality of the main protagonists in the decors, initially misleading the viewer. Then he created the impression that he was ridiculing the composition, certainly when the room in which the tender aria Che gelide manina (fervently sung by Rafael Dávila) almost jarred with the music and lyrics.

Later, when Mimi’s tiny frozen hand and, especially, her persistent cough indicated with increasing clarity her illness and approaching death, the harsh opening seemed fitting. The atmosphere veered round, and Langridge and his designer Conor Murphy allowed the tableau to shift beautifully with the development of the characters from superficial, indifferent boozers to true friends. As they became aware of Mimi’s illness, the perspective on stage changed. The bohemians’ room was shown from above and the chaotic interior revealed its beauty: the mattresses on the floor and the dummy painter’s ladder were lit with mild red and green pastel tints. Within the Gelders Orchestra – with conductor Patrick Davin a trustworthy accompanist and source of atmosphere throughout the evening – two violins played a wistful duet. The voices of baritone Thomas Oliemans, tenor Rafael Dávila and soprano Anita Watson bloomed ever more handsomely as the evening progressed. At its conclusion, one realised that one had witnessed an outstanding, deeply-layered Bohème.