‘La Boheme’ – By Giacomo Puccini with music and libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa. Directed by Yuval Sharon; Music Direction by BLO Music Director David Angus, conducting the BLO Orchestra and Chorus. Stage design by BLO Artistic Advisor John Conklin. Costume design by Jessica Jahn. Lighting design by John Torres. Presented by Boston Lyric Opera in a co-production with Detroit Opera and Spoleto Festival USA at the Emerson Colonial Theatre, 106 Boylston St. through Oct. 2.

by Mike Hoban

If you’re curious about opera, but have avoided going in the past for any number of reasons, Boston Lyric Opera’s production of La Boheme may be the perfect entrée into the genre. As someone who doesn’t know an aria from an obbligato, I’m not qualified to comment on the quality of the production in relation to previous iterations, but damn was this a great evening of entertainment. This was not my first excursion into opera, and with the exception of the standards Pagliacci and The Threepenny Opera and the compelling historical opera Schoenberg in Hollywood, I’ve found a lot of the form – particularly the modern ones – to be repetitive and dirge-like. And while I’ve enjoyed aspects of the aforementioned pieces, La Boheme stands alone as a thrilling entertainment.

Read more “Opera Curious but Still Reluctant? BLO’s ‘La Boheme’ is the Show to See”