London Coliseum, Friday 16 October 2015

Benedict Andrews’ new production of La Boheme raises more questions than it solves. While the approach is updated and naturalistic, the settings consistently appear to be at odds with the narrative. Are these students actually impoverished or are they rich boys playing games? The waste of highly expensive paint in the final act is a case in point.

The vast studio of act one is shown in the final act to be a ground floor apartment next to a beautiful park in which is a children’s playground. How can impoverished students afford it? And why so many candles in the first act when there is more than enough light flooding the stage? These problems are exacerbated when Rudolfo and Mimi both shoot up while sharing their autobiographies. Are we to take O suave fanciulla as a drug induced delusion which then spills over into the rest of the evening?

While the sets for act one and four raise questions they are at least serviceable, and the simplicity of Johannes Schutz’ design for act three is highly effective. However, the Café Momus scene is a mess, lacking any sense of focus and ability to tell the story with clarity.

All of this would matter less if the musical side had been universally strong. The women could not be faulted. Rhian Lois is a feisty Musetta whose compassion shines through in the final act. Corinne Winters is more complex as Mimi. How far can we trust her girlish simplicity when she is clearly an addict from the start and remains so – Marcello checks her arm for marks at the start of act three? She sings with boldness and clarity, easily riding the orchestra and allowing her dying self to simply slip away. It is very effective.

The men never really reach this level. Duncan Rock’s Marcello comes closest and improves across the evening. Neither Ashley Riches’ Schaunard or Nicholas Masters’ Colline are given enough within this production to create any sense of individuality. Showing them all up was Simon Butteriss’ masterly doubling of Alcindoro and Benoit. Tiny parts, but etched into the memory by the clarity of characterisation.

Zach Borichevsky has shown in the past that he has the potential for Rudolfo but was not in good voice across the whole evening, straining at the top and unable to ride the orchestra in moments which really require it.

Xian Zhang has conducted La boheme before for ENO and her approach is solid if rather pedestrian for much of the time. The second act in particular lacked fire though there was some very sensitive playing in act three.

Any new production has the real challenge of being compared with the previous one. Jonathan Miller’s production, last seen only two years ago, may have been showing signs of age but actually worked far more successfully than this new one does. Maybe we will come to love this in time but the signs are not hopeful.