A classic opera is brought back to life
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NBR NZ Opera La Boheme Tiffany Speight as Musetta and Marcin Bronikowski as Marcello
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Puccini’s La Bohème, arguably the most popular of all operas, gets a face lift in 2008. The NBR New Zealand Opera’s new production sees a
vibrant cast and creative team bring this timeless classic back to life in a fresh and stylish way.
Heading the creative team and approaching Puccini from a modern perspective are dynamic Australians Patrick Nolan
(director) and Ralph Myers (set designer). “Our concept is driven by a desire to illuminate the story in a way which
connects the past to who we are as a society and culture now,” says Nolan. “The time period has been moved from 1830 to
21st century Paris so our production presents a world that contemporary audiences will recognise and relate to.” In
keeping with this modernisation, New Zealand’s esteemed costume designer Elizabeth Whiting has created a range of sharp
and imaginative costumes that place the characters in the Paris of today.
To realise this innovative direction, an outstanding cast has been secured, led by Opera Australia’s sensational star
Antoinette Halloran as Mimì. Fellow Australian, Tiffany Speight, returns to play Musetta after her acclaimed role of
Pamina in 2006’s The Magic Flute. And the new glamour boy on the international opera circuit, tenor Jesus Garcia, who
starred on Broadway in Baz Luhrmann’s La Bohème, plays Rodolfo.
General Director of The NBR New Zealand Opera, Aidan Lang is thrilled with the cast and creative team the Company has
lined up for this new production. “ La Bohème is an opera about young people,” he says, “so we wanted to secure an exciting, youthful cast and creative team who
would, through an injection of freshness and energy and a contemporary perspective, create a memorable theatrical
showpiece for audiences.”
La Bohème is much more than just another tragic love story. It is a timeless celebration of youthful rites of passage, the
proletarian struggle against poverty and the artist’s quest for integrity. In Puccini’s tour de force, audiences get the
whole package – the tortured relationships, the resonant characters made famous by the likes of Melba and Caruso,
Gheorghiu and Pavarotti, and the magnificent arias. Whether you are a Puccini enthusiast, attending an opera for the
first time, or just a sucker for love, the story of Mimì and Rodolfo will totally captivate you.
The NBR New Zealand Opera Winter Season of La Bohème
WELLINGTON – St James Theatre
Sat 10 May, Thu 15 May, Sat 17 May (7:30pm); Tue 13 May (6:00pm)
AUCKLAND – Aotea Centre, THE EDGE®
Thu 29 May, Sat 31 May, Thu 5 June, Sat 7 June (7:30pm); Tue 3 June (1:00pm)
Single Tickets: $49.50 to $159.50; Concessions available. Service fees apply.
The NBR New Zealand Opera Winter Season of La Bohème
Opera in Four Acts by Giacomo Puccini
Libretto by Giuseppe Giocosa and Luigi Illica
Sung in Italian with English surtitles
Conductor Emmanuel Joel-Hornak
Director Patrick Nolan
Set Designer Ralph Myers
Costume Designer Elizabeth Whiting
Lighting Designer Bernie Tan
Assistant Director Steven Anthony Whiting
Mimì Antoinette Halloran
Rodolfo Jesus Garcia
Musetta Tiffany Speight
Marcello Marcin Bronikowski
Schaunard Robert Tucker
Colline Wade Kernot
Alcindoro Richard Green
Benoit Roger Wilson (Wellington)
Brian McKay (Auckland)
Parpignol Michael Gray*
Customs Sergeant Matthew Landreth*
Customs Officer Hadleigh Adams*
With the Chapman Tripp Opera Chorus
Accompanied by the Vector Wellington Orchestra (Wellington) and the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra (Auckland)
PwC Dame Malvina Major Young Artist
*PwC Dame Malvina Major Emerging Artist
Sung in Italian with English surtitles, The NBR New Zealand Opera Winter Season of La Bohème opens in Wellington on
Saturday 10 May and in Auckland on Thursday 29 May.
ENDS