Only a few dim stars in La boh?me

By Brian Reinhart     4/17/08 7:00pm

Passionate romance, jealousy and redemption, humor and tragedy - Giacomo Puccini's La boh?me has all the elements of a classic love story. Its revival at the Houston Grand Opera this month is cause for celebration, although the performance falls just one poor singer short of perfection.The story of La boh?me is simple and will be familiar to those who have watched the musical Moulin Rouge!. The recent film version of Moulin Rouge! was based partially on Puccini's opera, which is also about a young bohemian artist who meets the love of his life just as she is on the verge of death. In La boh?me the two lovers are Rodolfo and Mim, who endure their share of jealousy and bickering before they are confronted with the reality of Mim's certain death.

The Houston Grand Opera has not invested as much visible effort in this production as it has in some of its presentations earlier this year; Rodolfo's loft is tiny, and some lighting decisions and minor singing roles are patchy. All the same, in an intensely character-driven love story, it is the music and the passion of the performers which matter, and here the production is very strong.

Starring as Mim is soprano Ana María Martínez, one of the great opera singers of her generation. Her voice is a joy to listen to - rich, deep and soothing. In the quietest moments, when she sings as softly as she can, the whole audience edges forward in its seats, entranced. Martínez is the main attraction at this production, a rising star with a voice few others have, and viewers will leave the theater wishing they could hear more.

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The roles of Rodolfo and Mim's friends are also sung extremely well. Joshua Hopkins and Nikolay Didenko excel as Marcello and Colline, two artists who live with Rodolfo, and soprano Albina Shagimuratova nearly steals the show as the drama queen Musetta, who loves to toy with men's hearts. Some of the smaller roles are well-sung, too, and the chorus and orchestra provide terrific support.

Ultimately, though, this performance of La boh?me is not as moving as it could be. Few in the audience will be moved to tears by the usually heart-wrenching ending, and the blame for this shortcoming ultimately falls on the one weak singer in the cast - tenor Garrett Sorenson, who plays the lover Rodolfo. Rodolfo is supposed to be a poet and ardent romantic, but Sorenson's acting makes him come across as timid at best and wimpy at worst. He fails to project his voice at all, so that the orchestra and the other singers often drown him out entirely. Sorenson's rendition of the legendary aria "Che gelida manina" was enjoyable, but it was the only positive moment in his performance.

It is a pity that Rodolfo, so central to this love story, is a disappointment. But the performance is still very much worth seeing for its other merits - a strong ensemble of supporting characters, for Puccini's beautiful music and for the soprano Martínez. Martínez is a spectacular young singer with an alluring voice, and opera fans should not miss this chance to see her live. Music lovers who have never seen an opera before should take warning before hearing her: they might just fall in love.

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