La Bohème

I decided to write about Bohème before I go into other things, because I love it quite a lot.

La Bohème is quite perfect. It is the most beautiful, selfless love story. I really relate to Mimi. I know that people have different opinions on her background, but I thought of a perfect compromise. Lauren Flanigan did a master class recently at MSM and pointed out that in this time period there were different levels of unwealthy, single girls, but they all had "suitors." One level was probably like Musetta, where she had many, like a courtesan, but another level had very vew, maybe only one, and she worked in the background like Mimi, sewing flowers as a seemstress. I'm thinking that perhaps Mimi is very young and new to the "profession" and has met her "suitor" perhaps, but nothing has happened yet. That makes perfect sense as to why Musetta would call her an "angel from heaven" and refer to her as pure and whatnot. She dreams of poetry and love and fancies, but she is very optimistic and content. And perhaps somewhere in her she knows her life is not going to bee extremely long, but she doesn't think about it conciously. Therefore, when she meets Rodolfo, she is completely taken off guard, but so excited about it! Um, finding your person is AMAZING! And they fall in love! I think that the love has to be pure and real, or the story means nothing. If he is just another man she is going to sleep with, than who gives a crap. That is not the story. This also explains why she goes with the Viscount after she leaves Rodolfo, because she needs someone to support her, and she is deathly ill. And this was how things would have been for her always, had she not met Rodolfo. Of course she doesn't want to go with him, but she's a strong girl and sucks it up.

So what do we think about Rodolfo's behavior? He does say in a very beautiful melody in Act II that he would not be so forgiving if Mimi ever was unfaithful. I don't know that it really relates to Act III and his description of Mimi's behaviors, though. He rants and rants about how he wants to leave Mimi for good, and she is a flirt and looks at every man with languid eyes, until Marcello says, "I don't need to tell you that you're not being honest," when he finally admits it's not true at all. He then admits that Mimi is gravely ill and he cannot help her, and every day he watches her slowly die and can do it no longer. He loves her so much, he cannot watch her suffer and thinks he is to blame for the poor conditions of his apartment. He has no money, obviously, so he can't take care of her the way he wants. So I feel like this is a week moment for Rodolfo. Mimi would never leave him and hurt him because of her own feelings. This is why she is so strong and tells him they will part, without bitterness. Beautiful. Of course they are both desperate without each other, and when she's dying she returns to him to die by his side. Being in Italian, I feel it is so much easier to have beautiful words not sound awkward. My favorite thing is Rodolfo's nickname for Mimi. He calls her his "piccina," his little one. It's so adorable, but more in Italian than English.

So now I am singing "Donde lieta usci" instead of "Mi chiamano Mimi," but only for now while I rework the other one. Overall, La Boheme is perfect, and I want to sing all of it. "Sono andati" at the end is amazing. Of course I've sung the act III quartet, but that was. . . . .less than ideal. Perhaps if "eye licking the page guy" were in it it would have been better. (I guess most people won't understand who that is, but who's reading this anyway?) In conclusion, I love La Bohème, and I cannot wait to play Mimi. J'adore. And Baz Luhrmann's production photos are amazing, as you can see.