La bohème

Composer: Giacomo Puccini
Librettist: Giuseppe Giacosa, Luigi Illica
Company: Opera San José

Synopsis

Opera in the Pines presents Bar Crawl Bohème, an immersive, community-focused adaptation of the operatic classic La bohème, performed by and for Mainers in a first of its kind bar crawl across the state! 

Many of us might already be familiar with the traditional version that inspired the musical Rent, featuring various scenes in the lives of four struggling artists: a poet, a painter, a musician and a philosopher. One Christmas Eve, their neighbor, the seamstress Mimì, knocks at their door, asking for a light for her candle. She quickly falls in love with the poet, Rodolfo, and their lives are changed forever. Our Bohemians attempt to find their way despite the dark realities of the world in this timeless story of the magic of first love, the special innocence of youth, and the devastation of loss.

This opera was first composed by Giacomo Puccini between 1893 and 1895 to an Italian libretto based on Scènes de la vie de bohème by Henri Murger. Our libretto, adapted by Kristine McIntyre and updated by Sable Strout, will take place in 2019 Maine, with no idea what the new year will have in store.