La bohème | Opera Queensland & West Australian Opera
All images: Murray Summerville
Opera Queensland and West Australian Opera have combined forces to deliver a beautifully crafted reimagining of Puccini’s La bohème, infusing it with new life while honouring the magic of the world renowned original. Originally set in the 1830s, this production transports us to Paris in the 1920s, where four young men—the titular bohemians—grapple with the fragility of youth, poverty, and romance in an uncertain post-war world.
All images: Murray Summerville
The production featured excellent acting and vocal performances all-round. Valerio Borgioni (Rodolfo), Samuel Dundas (Marcello), Jeremy Kleeman (Schaunard), and Luke Stoker (Colline) were delightful to watch as the impoverished yet passionate band of bohemian dreamers, displaying great command of character and tackling moments of comedy and tragedy with equal ardour. Elena Perroni was mesmerising as the seamstress and tragic love interest Mimi, bringing beautiful vocals to some of Puccini’s most famous arias—though at moments they could have benefited from a little more volume. Nina Korbe was especially strong as Marcello’s charming lover Musetta, and her commanding rendition of the aria “Quando me’n vo’” was a highlight of the production for me.
The star of the show was Charles Davis’ set design, which featured an enormous, greenhouse-like glass structure within a wintery woodland landscape. The structure moved and transformed throughout the production, shape-shifting into the bohemians’ humble abode, the bustling Café Momus, and a tavern. Partnered with Christine Felmingham’s evocative lighting design—involving a blend of warm yellows and cool blue tones that suggest firelight against ice, or burning love against cold sorrow—and a consistent dusting of snow, the overall visual landscape was truly exquisite, and arguably as moving as the performances themselves. One particular moment that found a striking visual echo in Davis’ design was Rodolfo’s description of Mimi as a “greenhouse flower”. Standing within the glass structure in a floaty pale-pink dress (one of many inspired costume choices by Davis), Mimi became a living embodiment of this metaphor, beautiful yet fragile. This strong relationship between text and design gave the production a deeply affective sense of poetic cohesion.
All images: Murray Summerville
The production’s ensemble—comprised of the Opera Queensland Chorus and the Opera Queensland Children’s Chorus—were also brilliantly costumed by Davis, and each character was dressed with care and distinct personality. These performers’ attention to their individual character work was highly commendable, and under the guidance of director Matt Reuben James Ward, they ensured that every role enriched the stage with life, no matter how small. However, with at least forty performers on stage at once during the second act, some moments felt overcrowded and visually busy to the point of distraction; at times it was a little difficult to know where to focus my attention, and I nearly missed a key interaction between two characters that foreshadowed later events. This visual density also meant it was sometimes hard to immediately discern who was singing, and at times blurred the clarity of the storytelling. Nevertheless, these were minor detractions in an otherwise expertly staged production.
Ultimately, this reimagined La bohème is clever and captivating. Its inventive design landscape and excellent cast performances felt both faithful and fresh, capturing both the classic grandeur of opera and the intimate fragility of human connection. It is a strong reminder of why La bohème continues to endure as one of the most popular operas in history.
La Boheme plays at QPAC’s Lyric Theatre until Saturday 13th of September 2025.
All images: Murray Summerville
