(Picture on Left) Going to the Lincoln Center Opera was an experience, to say the least. My friend and I got there early and had a lot of fun exploring the Opera Shop, where we tried on hats, jewelry, and played with music boxes. We also tried to have a mini photoshoot with the fountain, and the Christmas Tree on the other side of the road. (Also the Halal cart nearby, does not rank even close to the Baruch Halal cart, Baruch Halal is just superior). When it actually got to show time, I was very excited, seeing the big giant theater, the huge orchestra pit and the lights that moved up when the show started.
Using the little libretto screen on the bar, I was excited to see La Boheme. As soon as the show started, I was confused. Since we sat so far in the back, (and because I have really bad eye sight), I was not sure who was the person singing the words, and because of this I had trouble differentiating them as the play went on (they all kind of became one single person in my head). I was also somewhat confused because some of what they sang did not pop up on my screen. Due to this, I had trouble staying focused and following the story line.
Additionally, I was having trouble hearing each character’s leit motifs because I was not sure which character it was, and at times I could not even hear it. Moreover, I really did not see Mimi as the prima donna. Her voice was not nearly as high as Musetta’s and I felt as if Mimi had less stage time compared to her as well. I also tended to enjoy the scenes with Musetta in them more overall.
However, the one thing I liked was the similarities between Rent and La Boheme. Hearing Mimi come in asking to have her candle lit was familiar as the Mimi in Rent had done the same thing. And when Mimi was looking for it on the floor was also the same as Rent Mimi showing Roger her behind. I also saw a similarity in the landlords, Benny and Benoit coming to collect their rent from these broke artists. In both Rent and La Boheme, they shoo Benny/Benoit away by questioning their character, in Rent by reminding him he was one of them and in La Boheme by saying he looks at (younger?) women besides his wife.
I remember mirroring your excitement when we heard the familiar motif preceding Mimi’s entrance in the candle lighting scene. The parallels between La Boheme and Rent were very apparent (and fresh in our minds, since we watched them within a week of each other) and made me look upon the scenes with a sense of familiarity.