Information by Baz the Great!
Information
by Baz the Great!
Baz Luhrmann launched his first production of La Bohème on 28th July 1990 at the Sydney Opera House, Australia. He then went on to direct two more Australian productions of Puccini's opera in 1993 and 1996, including a televised performance that is available to buy on DVD, details of which can be found at the bottom of this page.
Following the success of his previous productions of La Bohème, Luhrmann took his magnificent opera to US theatres in 2002. After a six week sell-out run in in San Fransisco's Curran Theatre, Luhrmann's production was launched on Broadway in December 2002 to excellent reviews from fans and critics alike. The production went on to win two Tony Awards - Best Scenic Design for Catherine Martin and Best Lighting for Nigel Levings - as well as a special ensemble award for the eight principal actors rotating in the lead roles of Mimi, Rodolfo, Musetta and Marcello. La Bohème's Broadway run finished on 29th June 2003. On 9th January 2004, the production began a new season in Los Angeles. La Bohème played in Los Angeles from 9th January 2004 until 7th March 2004 at the Ahmanson Theatre, 135 North Grand Ave. (www.taperahmanson.com) Click here to read news articles regarding the LA production.
This page is divided into eight sections. Feel free to scroll down and read more about Baz Luhrmann's productions of La Bohème!
________________________________
The Greatest Love Story Ever Sung...
"La Bohème is the story of the doomed love affair between the consumptive Mimi, a seamstress, and Rodolfo, a writer. The original production, inspired by an autobiographical novel written by Henri Murger in the 1840's, was set in Bohemian Paris in the 1830's. Luhrmann's Broadway version, which is based on the acclaimed, sold-out production he mounted in 1990 for The Australian Opera in his native Sydney, takes place in Bohemian Paris in 1957."
The above description is taken from the opening night edition of 'Playbill' for the 2003 Broadway production of La Bohème. This programme includes director's notes, which were written by Baz Luhrmann and provide detailed information about La Bohème's journey to Broadway. Click on the image below to read Luhrmann's director's notes, and also a synopsis of the opera.
________________________________
'La Bohème' Principal Broadway Cast
From left to right:
David Miller as Rodolfo and Ekaterina Solovyeva as Mimi
Alfred Boe as Rodolfo and Wei Huang as Mimi
Jesus Garcia as Rodolfo and Lisa Hopkins as Mimi
Jessica Comeau as Musetta
Chloe Wright as Musetta
Other Players: Eugene Brancoveanu and Ben Davis as Marcello, Daniel Okulitch as Schaunard, Daniel Webb as Colline, William Youmans as Alcindoro, Adam Grupper as Bonoit (plus Ensemble).
________________________________
'La Bohème' Broadway Review
Unfortunately, I was not able to personally see a Broadway performance of La Bohème. However, feel free to click on the image below to read a fellow fan's detailed review of this amazing production. If you were lucky enough to see a performance and would like to submit a review to be posted on this site, please feel free to contact me.
________________________________
'La Bohème' News Articles
Click on the image below to access this area containing over 70 news articles. These articles provide comprehensive information about the San Fransisco and Broadway performances, the 2003 Tony awards and nominations, as well as all the latest news about the upcoming 2004 tour. This section also includes various images plus an insightful series of articles written by an ensemble cast member.
________________________________
Promotional Images
In November 2002, MKTG, the company responsible for online marketing of La Bohème, kindly provided me with some exclusive images of Baz Luhrmann and some of the cast on set shooting a promotional television commercial for the Broadway production. Click on the official image below to view the images and find out more.
________________________________
'La Bohème' Soundtrack
The 'Original Cast Recording of Baz Luhrmann's Production of Puccini's La Bohème' album features highlights of the Broadway opera's score, and is a must-have for fans of the production. It is also a worthwhile purchase for anyone who has not been fortunate enough to see a live performance so they can hear what the production has to offer. All three sets of Mimi's and Rodolfo's can be heard on this CD, as well as both sets of Musetta's and Marcello's. Additionally, the beautifully presented booklet contains English translations of all songs that serves to further enhance the listening experience. Click on the image below to read three articles about this wonderful compilation, along with a discography listing all songs featured on the album.
________________________________
'La Bohème' on Broadway - Official Website
The official La Bohème website provides great information about the production and is the place to visit for all the latest updates. When the Broadway production finished on 29th June, I am hoping that this official website will stay operational and provide details about the 2004 La Bohème tour.
Currently, the official website is divided into the following sections:
Our Bohème
An introduction of what to expect from Baz Luhrmann's modernised production of La
Bohème. It states that this opera is "about real people, for real people"
and the production will be presented not just for typical opera lovers, but for everyone.
The introduction then goes on to detail the worldwise hunt for the cast, the performance
of the original Italian language and the transformation of the story from 1840 to 1957
Paris. The text then goes on to explain that the theatre is smaller than the classic
design, bringing the audience closer to the action… plus, you can dress any way you
want! The introduction ends with the exclamation that everyone should see the production
because of Baz's extraordinary vision! But, of course! :-)
Cast and Crew
Pictures and biographies of principal and ensemble cast members, as well as written
synopses of the creative team and producers.
Press
A collection of excellent reviews about the production, reviews which we're sure will
continue for many months to come.
Tickets
La Bohème is showing at The Broadway Theatre at 53rd Street in New York City.
This section contains booking details - visit the site and reserve your ticket today!
Downloads
Here you can download a great screensaver for PC or Mac, download the trailer, watch the
trailer and watch the sizzle reel.
E-mail/Sign Up
Here you can sign up to be notified of further news regarding La Bohème. There
are fields for your name, your e-mail, how you heard about La Bohème, and space
to leave your comments.
________________________________
'La Bohème' at the Sydney Opera House - 1993 Production
Click here to view La Bohème's
Internet Movie Database page
Click
here to buy the 1993 version of La Bohème on DVD from amazon.com
This DVD is a fully televised production of a 1993 performance of La Bohème, starring Cheryl Barker as Mimi, David Hobson as Rodolfo, Roger Lemke as Marcello and Christine Douglas as Musetta. I highly recommend this DVD to not only fans of the opera, but also to anyone who has not been fortunate enough to see a live performance. I purchased a copy of the DVD for this very reason, and I and absolutely fell in love with La Bohème during my very first viewing. Hobson is an amazing Rodolfo, Barker a tender Mimi, Douglas a playful Musetta and Lemke a powerful Marcello. My favourite moments were when Mimi and Rodolfo declare their love for each other under the stunning L'Amour sign, the highly entertaining Cafe Momus sequence, and the final exchange between the two lovers before they are tragically torn apart by Mimi's untimely demise.
The back of the DVD cover reads as follows: "Recorded live from the Sydney Opera House, this Australian Opera production of Puccini's perennial favorite was staged by the Academy Award-winning creative team who made the hit film Moulin Rouge - director Baz Luhrmann and designers Catherine Martin and Bill Marron. They have crafted a compelling and artful reworking of the opera, using the post-war privations of 1950s Paris as a convincing setting, and capturing, above all else, the youthfulness and intensity of the story with a raw sincerity. After the PBS showing of this recording, John J. O'Connor wrote in The New York Times, "Familiarity can breed ennui, but an occasional jolt of imaginative freshness can work wonders. Irresisible proof is available in this Boheme... Like the opera itself, Mr Luhrmann's interpretation is shamelessly and quite gloriously romantic. By the slow close of its final curtain, there will not, I assure you, be a dry eye in anybody's house... Watch this smashing production and be seduced all over again." The stars of this basically ensemble production are Cheryl Barker as Mimi and David Hobson, tall and handsome as a movie star, who plays Rodolfo with a flip, boyish carelessness that makes his love for Mimi all the more moving when he loses her. They are splendidly complemented by Christine Douglas and Roger Lemke in the parts of the good-hearted but flirtatious Musetta and her lover, Marcello. Rodolfo's other companions in the garret - David Lemke as the musician Schaunard, Gary Rowley as the philosopher Colline - are typical exuberant students. Julian Smith conducts Puccini's rich, eloquent score, and the dramatic vibrancy of Luhrmann's production makes some of the composer's finest moments, such as the very different tensions between the two pairs of lovers, emerge with moving clarity."
________________________________
