La bohème is without doubt one of the world’s most celebrated and emotionally powerful operatic love stories. The tumultuous story of young love, friendship and grief is even more compelling when surrounded by Puccini’s glorious and evocative music, making it one of the world’s favourite operas.

The opera draws from a collection of true-life sketches describing life among original bohemians, the poor artists of Paris’s Latin Quarter. Hungry but cheerful, the poet Rodolfo shares a roof top garret with the painter Marcello, the musician Schaunard and philosopher Colline. The action starts on a moonlit Christmas Eve when the frail but lovely seamstress Mimi comes to Rodolfo’s door for help and the two fall instantly and passionately in love. Meanwhile Marcello carries on his turbulent affair with the flirtatious Musetta. Rodolfo later becomes jealous of Mimi, and the two regretfully part, until Musetta reveals that Mimi is dying of consumption. So the lovers are again united, only to be separated forever by Mimi’s death.

Gale Edwards’ delightful new production, created in 2011 by Opera Australia, comes to Adelaide for the first time with a stellar cast led by New York based South Australian conductor Kynan Johns.

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