Production With Two Faces

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It took a while — until after intermission, in fact — but the San Francisco Lyric Opera’s new production of La Bohème, unveiled on Friday night at the Cowell Theater at Fort Mason, finally gelled into a strong performance. The singers eventually gave themselves over to Puccini’s score, but the first half had some rough moments as everyone was trying too hard to “act.”

We saw Rodolfo (Vincent Chambers) full of artistic angst, Mimì (Darynn Zimmer) simpering, and Musetta (Shawnette Sulker) soubretting about. The notable exception was Marcello (Nathaniel Hackmann) with his glorious voice and boyishly exuberant acting. The opening scene between Marcello and Rodolfo had a nice bit of comic business, the two of them struggling to keep warm under a thin tablecloth.

Vincent Chambers as Rodolfo and Darynn Zimmer as Mimì

The musical high point of Act 1, Rodolfo and Mimì’s arias introducing themselves to each other, had about as much heat as Rodolfo’s ill-fed stove. Lighting designer David Ransom made a poor choice to dim the stage lights and put a spotlight only on Rodolfo during his aria and Mimi during hers. While the two arias serve as a sketch of each of the lovers in turn, this is also the moment when the two become instantly enamored with each other. Downplaying the other character’s reactions, as they listen onstage, robs the the audience of the chance to see the attraction take hold.

The kindling did not ignite until the duet after the arias. The vocal demands of Puccini’s score at this point will not allow acting, so all the two could do was to sing their hearts out. This was the point they began to be believably in love with each other, and we in the audience began to love them.

Shawnette Sulker as Mussetta

Sulker has a lovely, flexible voice, though her singing could benefit from a more fluid, legato line. Again the acting got in the way of the character. The staging for Musetta’s waltz in Act 2 is overdone and repetitive. A piece of advice to every Carmen and Musetta out there: Be a wily seductress, not a leg-flashing, lap-dancer. It seemed as though she and director Heather Carolo had borrowed from Anna Netrebko’s champagne-bottle-slinging, party-girl-at-dawn characterization in the Los Angeles Opera’s La Traviata. If so, it was a good move.

Singing Displaces Antics

After intermission this Bohème was a completely different show. The opening night jitters were gone, and the voices settled into place. Roldolfo gave the audience a magic moment as he sang of his love, his fear, and his all-consuming jealousy, while Marcello urged him on with an icy, “I don’t believe you” to get Rodolfo to come down to the bare bones of his problems with Mimì. Chambers has an excellent legato line and a full voice with a rich patina.

Vocally, Zimmer was competent, even lovely at times but her Mimì lacked depth. She turned the heroine’s soulful naivité into transparent scheming. Mimì, in a way, has something in common with Debussy’s Melisande (another of Zimmer’s roles) in that she feels the world around her acutely, but lacks the experience to make sense of it.

A scene from La Bohème

The strings and the brass in the orchestra struggled with tuning and with the score, though the woodwinds held it together. Barnaby Palmer’s sensitive and powerful conducting lent much beauty to the performance. The women of the chorus were a bit timid vocally compared with their male counterparts and had a hard time making their entrance in the opening of the third act. The members of the Golden Gate Boys Chorus sang well and were a lovely sight onstage. Carolo’s pacing of the piece overall was quick and fluid, although the curtain really should have come down for the creaky, messy scene changes after Acts 1 and 3.

The company should be lauded for its ambition in putting on Puccini in the same town as the world-renowned San Francisco Opera. SFLO attracts a younger and more diverse crowd than the SFO and makes for a much livelier evening out.

Lydia Mayne holds an undergraduate degree in vocal performance and a master of arts in musicology from the University of Utah. She is currently studying the history and aesthetics of opera at Stanford University.

Comments

A GROUP OF US SAW THIS BOHEME ON SUNDAY AND LOVED IT. VINCENT CHAMBERS HAS A PURE LYRIC TENOR THAT IS PERFECT FOR RODOLFO, AND THE CLEVER SET WITH THE ATTIC BEING TURNED TO BECOME CAFE MOMUS, THEN TURNED AGAIN TO BECOME THE GATES OF PARIS SCENCE WAS OUTSTANDING. WE ALL SIX OF US THOUGHT THE NEW COWELL THEATRE IS GOING TO BE PERFECT FOR SAN FRANCICO LYRIC OPERA, AND CAME HOME IMPRESSED BY THE LOVELY PERFORMANCE.

Posted by ELOISE BOUYE on March 18, 2008 at 5:03 pm
“Anna Netrebko’s champagne-bottle-slinging, party-girl-at-dawn characterization in the Los Angeles Opera’s La Traviata…”–Sorry, Anna Netrebko has sung Juliette and Manon at LA Opera, but never Traviata–in recent years, Elizabeth Futral and Renee Fleming have sung Violetta there. Check your facts before flinging famous names about, please.

Posted by Vicki Kirsch on March 19, 2008 at 8:10 pm
The new venue for the Lyric Opera, The Cowell Theater at Fort Mason Center, is easy to get to and the opening performance for La Bohe’me by Puccini was fantastic!

Since becoming an opera fan, (I saw my first opera, Carmen, at the Lyric Opera), I have consistently be amazed and overcome with emotion at the power of this art form. The aria sung by Mimi (Darynn Zimmer), Marcello (Nathaniel Hackmann), Rodolfo (Vincent Chambers), and Musetta (Shawnette Sulker) in Act III called “Addio, dolce svegliare alla mattina” (Adieu, sweet wakening in the morning”) brought tears to my eyes. These young artist are talented and I enjoyed and appreciated their performances.

I believe the Lyric Opera consistently delivers a rich experience for the audience. This opera added to the list of excellent performances from the company in the past, by delivering an lovely evening for me. Since I am new to opera, my experience is fresh and exhilarating as I hear the aria for the first time.

There were many children at the Lyric Opera on the night I saw La Bohe’me and they hummed along with the music. This opportunity for children to enjoy opera in the original language is part of the mission statement of the Lyric Opera and one they take seriously.

Barnaby Palmer is a dynamic conductor and his enthusiasm and energy is infectious. I saw many of his students from both his opera and his music classes at the Academy of Art University where he shares his expertise and fosters music culture. His students enjoyed seeing him in action.

The lasting value of opera is if you can answer this question? Do you like it? I have to say YES!

Thanks Lyric Opera, and keep doing what you do!

Posted by Carol A. Nunnelly on March 20, 2008 at 8:08 am
Am a big fan of a voice that you can rest your head on so I didn’t agree with the writer’s take that Darynn Zimmer played Mimi as scheming. That was not this diva’s interpretation of Mimi. Her arias were sung with enough nuance and tenderness to express her devotion to Roldolfo and determination to be with him. Shouldn’t we try to see female desire in a way other than conniving?

I do second the writer’s thoughts about the score. The orchestra pit was as exciting to watch as the main stage itself. There was a very admirable and dramatic intensity in Barnaby Palmer’s conducting. It was a delight to see the score rise and fall to complement the arias. Bravo!

Posted by Cheryl Locke on March 31, 2008 at 9:24 am