The Spiegeltent structure which took up the entire, rather small Sydney Opera Theatre stage, remained a fixture throughout, and lent itself discreetly to a tall garret in the outer acts and to a wired check-point in the third. Edward’s vision was seconded by Brian Thompson’s inventive set and Julie Lynch’s effective costumes. Although parallels can be drawn, the transposition causes problems, especially in the second act. The, by now, well run-in production’s most striking aspect, was the director’s decision to locate the story in the Weimar Republic Berlin of the late 1920’s instead of the original location in 1830’s Paris. Although one of the best-loved and most popular operas of the repertoire, the tale of poverty, cold and death, didn’t seem a particularly appropriate thematic choice as the operatic icon within the summer holiday and harbour fireworks atmosphere which is the trademark of the Sydney New Year. Opera Australia chose the revival of the Gale Edwards/Brian Thompson 2011 production of ‘La Bohème’ to herald in the operatic New Year at the Sydney Opera House.

Libretto by Giuseppe Giacosa and Luigi Illica

La boheme opera sydney