Puccini wouldn’t have envisaged his Marcello with a laptop, or that a cast for his opera could be as comfortable performing in the foyer of a theatre as on its main stage. But Opera Up Close are the masters of reinvention, and on this evening’s showing will have made many new friends here in Bristol. A packed house loved this partly perambulatory performance.  

Singing a reworked libretto by Director Robin Norton-Hale, OUC are happy to adopt the tricks of panto to link to its audience. Weaving in references to Bristol locations such as Stokes Croft, College Green and Clifton, this La Bohème was made to feel very much our own. And Norton-Hale took her opportunity to add contemporary political comment – Mimi is unable to access a doctor because of her failed immigration status.

La Bohème is a sad tale in which impoverished writer Rodolfo and painter Marcello, (the bohemians) share an unheated flat together, before affairs with Mimi, the girl next door, and the flirtatious and uninhibited Musetta spiral around each other like a tortured helix. Poor Mimi gradually succumbs to tuberculosis.  

All four leads were scintillating – singing and acting at the highest level. Philip Lee grew into his role as Rodolfo, delivering a shuddering climax which left us in no doubt as to his deep love for Mimi. With an outstanding performance, Claire Wild’s soprano filled auditorium and foyer will equal aplomb, giving her Mimi enormous emotional depth while always delighting with exquisite phrasing. Nicolas Dwyer as Marcello, tall, dark, handsome, convincingly played the conflicted lover of Musetta, whose steamy shoes were more than adequately filled by Sarah Minns. All came into their own during the boisterous scenes played out front of house during Act 2, in which the audience as bystanders were made to feel very much part of the production.

There was excellent support from Ian Beadle as the musician Schaunard, Julian Debreuil as the philosopher Colline and Martin Nelson as the landlord and Alcindoro, the state councillor getting the run-around from Musetta.  Musical Director Elspeth Wilkes accompanied throughout on piano, with a clear empathy between notation and performance adding to an overall sense of good timing and pace. 

Tour designer Luned Gwawr Evans’ set on the main stage portrayed the living room of Rodolfo and Marcello’s flat – a simple rear wall covered in posters, a sofa and a solitary free-standing radiator enough to convey a life stripped to the basics. For sound, we had no need of anything but the glorious voices of the cast.

OUC have a winning formula for attracting new audiences to opera. With a contemporary spin to the libretto and using shared space with its audience, they succeed in making a traditional form transformative.   ★★★★★      Simon Bishop   4^th June 2019