I will be attending the Saturday night performance of La Bohème and since my opera knowledge is limited to Pavaroti and Bugs Bunny cartoons I thought I would do some research. The first place I visited was the Opera 101 section of OLO's website. In addition to opera terms and facts I learned that "One music critic suggests that most opera plots boil down to a soprano and tenor wanting to hook up but being prevented from doing so by the baritone! While that’s not always the case, the theme of unrequited love does turn up in opera frequently. Most of all though, the stories of opera are the human stories of love, loss, triumph and hope."
I have also discovered that La Bohème is often called a "crowd pleaser" because of its comedic nature and heart wrenching love story. Peter McGillivray (Schaunard) agrees that the universality of the themes are enticing, however he goes further to say "it is Puccini’s heartstring-tugging score that gives you the ultimate goosebumps that you take with you at the end of the show."
Here are my 3 suggestions on how to get the most out of your opera experience:
1. Get informed before the show by visiting the OLO website and Facebook page. The Wikipedia entry for La Bohème has detailed synopis, sketches and audio clips.
2. Come early for the free Pre-show chats at 7 pm in the NAC mezzanine.
3. Dress the part! I won't be wearing a tiara or velvet cape, but in my opinion La Bohème provides a great opportunity to dress to the nines!
