You may have seen the posters around town for the last couple of months and briefly wondered what it was and maybe even thought about going but just didn’t get around to it! We all lead busy lives so a night at the opera or the theatre is hardly at the top of our list of priorities. It’s expensive and fancy; it’s arguably much more natural for students to walk past Leeds Grand Theatre to go to Mint than it is to go inside for a show that lasts over two hours. La Bohème was showing at the Leeds Grand Theatre last week and I was lucky enough to go and see, or I really should say experience it, with a friend on Saturday 10th May for only fifteen pounds.
Prior to this show we were both complete “opera virgins”. I had no idea if I’d like it or hate it; as someone who’s not obsessed with musicals or music I had no clue how I’d react to it. I was hoping for something akin to a “Pretty Woman” reaction, so overcome with emotion that I would cry subtly in my seat as the last note powers through the audience.
However, as someone who never cries at any film, even Titanic (yes, I know, I’m an evil person) I thought this was quite unlikely. But I was still very open to having an emotional rollercoaster of an evening and just praying that it wouldn’t be a wasted one. I rang my Mum just before I left and she assured me that I’d absolutely love it, I still had my doubts however.
Anyway, perched on my seat in the upper balcony I had a perfect bird’s eye view of the stage and the orchestra in the pit. After admiring the incredible décor and my extravagant surroundings for a good ten minutes I realised that the opera was about to start and I had forgotten the entire plot… not ideal! I decided to just go with it, and let the action and music take me where it would.
So now I’ll give you a little backstory to Giacomo Puccini’s famous opera. The director Phyllida Lloyd has set this production in late 1950s Paris and it focuses on the doomed love affair between poet Rodolfo and seamstress Mimi who are both living in poverty and struggling to get by, keep warm and eat. It’s a tragic story of love-at-first-sight and plucks at the heartstrings of the hardest heart. There is also the fiery relationship between Rodolfo’s artist friend Marcello and strong-willed Musetta and the comedy of their two cross-dressing and comedic friends to lighten the drama.
In the production that I saw, the young cast sing impressively and powerfully in Italian for the entire duration of the opera (there were two screens on either side of the stage showing the English subtitles). Their lung capacity and range was astounding and I couldn’t help but look like a surprised goldfish when the singing started. I also loved the set of Marcello the artist’s studio as well as the outside sets with snow and cafés. The choreography was also really effective as it was energetic and crowded at times, which contrasted to the more serious and melancholic scenes with just two performers on the stage. The orchestra’s performance emphasised these ups and downs as well and I can now understand why Puccini is so respected as a composer.
By the end of the opera my friend and I were so emotionally involved in the story that we didn’t want it to end. The encore lasted for a good five minutes and I’m surprised there wasn’t a standing ovation, it was that good. We had surprised ourselves how much we’d enjoyed it so, if I were you, I would give opera a try. It’s not as stuffy as you might think and it definitely makes for a very different evening to going to the cinema or staying in and just watching Netflix. It gives you a chance to dress up a bit if you want to and try something new and cultural. Also now Opera North is launching an Under 30s Scheme which provides £10 tickets to students so you have no excuse not to give it a go!
Ella Sagar
Image Source:
1) http://www.operanorth.co.uk/productions/la-boheme
2) https://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=en&site=imghp&tbm=isch&source=hp&biw=1366&bih=667&q=leeds+grand+theatre+inside&oq=leeds+grand+theatre+inside&gs_l=img.3..0.2213.7964.0.8153.26.15.0.11.11.0.117.1252.14j1.15.0….0…1ac.1.43.img..1.25.1224.xuDiQpGLc88#hl=en&q=pretty+woman+opera+scene&tbm=isch&facrc=_&imgdii=_&imgrc=th1vztiEYGVgMM%253A%3BO-Wh4yaRwe18eM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252F4.bp.blogspot.com%252F-ZUI6FULRLjU%252FTtHYekIhnYI%252FAAAAAAAAEZA%252FLUcFCjNyCxo%252Fs1600%252FPretty%252BWoman%252BOpera%252BScene%252BLa%252BTraviata.png%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Foperafresh.blogspot.com%252F2011%252F11%252Fverdis-la-traviata-stirs-julia-roberts.html%3B557%3B298