REVIEW: La bohème, part of Grimeborn Festival at Arcola Theatre 20 – 24 August 2024

‘Putting the 'grime' into La Boheme’ ★★★★

Mimi lives above a flat shared by Ralph and Mark. All are struggling artists living on the breadline. When Ralph and Mimi meet, it’s love at first sight. But Mimi hides a dark secret, one that tears the couple apart with tragic consequences. A revival of an Olivier nominated production from 2016, this version of Puccini’s much-loved opera La Boheme dumps the romanticised portrayal of poverty from the original tale and plunges the audience into a gritty world of addiction and co-dependency with overtones of coercive control.

The libretto brought us bang into modern day London, with references to Suella Braverman, light up Christmas jumpers and Amazon hair straighteners. I loved it, though my companion was less convinced. The librettist was not named but whoever updated the lyrics clearly understands voices and gave the singers words that matched the vocal lines thoughtfully.

Becca Marriot both directed and sang Mimi. Her direction made great use of the space and her story telling was clear and compelling. Becky-Dee Trevenan‘s set was clever and created a great sense of place. Marriot’s singing combined power with delicacy - no mean feat - and her portrayal of a sensitive woman disintegrating under the pressure of poverty and drug addiction was heart breaking. Martins Smaukstelis’ Ralph successfully combined charm with male ego, and his top notes were gorgeous. Thom Isherwood’s Mark provided a good contrast to Smaukstelis’ Ralph, but at times he pushed his naturally powerful voice and almost “shout sang”, which unbalanced some of the ensembles. Valerie Wong’s Musetta was funny and coquettish, and she has a wonderfully clear toned soprano voice, though her diction needs attention.

Panaretos Kyriatzidis’s musical direction was a bit too overblown and self-indulgent for me. Some of the tempi wallowed in ways that didn’t match the gritty reality of what this production was trying to convey.

Overall, this was a successful production, and as my companion remarked, it was a shame there were so few young people in the audience, as this show would have been a great introduction for those who think opera is not for them.

The Opera Makers present

La Boheme by Giacomo Puccini

New English version by Becca Marriott and Adam Spreadbury-Maher

Part of the Grimeborn Festival

The Arcola, 20-24 August, https://www.arcolatheatre.com/whats-on/la-boheme/

Performers: Becca Marriot, Thom Isherwood, Martins Smaukstelis, Valerie Wong

Director: Becca Marriot, original production directed by Adam Spreadbury-Maher

Musical Director and pianist: Panaretos Kyriatzidis

Cellist: Alison Holford

Lighting designer: Nao Nagai

Stage design: Becky-Dee Trevenan

Reviewer: Srabani Sen

Srabani is a theatre actress and playwright. As an actress she has performed at the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse (The Globe), the Arcola, Southwark Playhouse, The Pleasance and numerous fringe theatres, in a range of roles from Shakespeare to plays by new and emerging writers. She has written several short and full length plays. Her play Tawaif was longlisted for the ETPEP Finborough award, and her play Vijaya was shortlisted for the Sultan Padamsee Playwrights Award in Mumbai.