Robin Norton-Hale’s East End, modern-day setting for her adaptation of Puccini’s La Bohème, is a curious proposition.
Utilising young, but traditional opera singers, Norton-Hale bases this film on her OperaUpClose production of 2010, which ran at Kilburn’s Cock Tavern before transferring to Soho a year later, then to Charing Cross Theatre. Although the lyrics talk of London landmarks, pubs, and laptops, the story of struggling artists is much the same as in the original opera.
In this version, Mimi (Lucy Hall) is a Ukrainian cleaner, tired and sick, and her first scene with poet Rodolfo (Matthew McKinney) is staged in near darkness: the aria “Che gelida manina” just about survives the artifice. Although it never quite feels as if Rodolfo and his friends are in the depths of poverty, the outdoor locations suggest it, and even the secondary plot of serial dater Musetta (Julia Mariko) is given enough depth to convince.
The orchestra is seen bundled up in coats on the roof rather than being the disembodied presence of classic musical films. Each character is introduced in the awkward opening moments with a neon flair for their name. Norton-Hale is responsible for the 21st century libretto, juggling a broad interpretation of the original opera’s intent with pop culture references and swear words.
Marcello, the painter (Benson Wilson), and party animals Shaunard (Mark Nathan) and Colline (Edward Jowle) are the other characters in this tale of young boisterousness and sexual jealousy. Men who josh each other, tease, and torment.
My mind went back to another boutique La Bohème, four years ago at the old King’s Head, in which Mark Ravenhill made it intimate, brash, and queer. Of course, Jonathan Larson’s Rent set the story in New York at the height of the AIDS crisis, with original songs. The opera in its original form is widely known and loved.
Why, then, give it this 21st-century setting, and what is it trying to achieve? It may seem odd to some viewers to hear dialogue sung through when talking of jobs and ambition, but this should have been a complete choice, with the snippets of mundane dialogue excised.
I cannot fault any of the singers who are committed to the ideas presented here. The original stage production is referenced by setting act two in a pub; in Kilburn, the audience moved with the production to the downstairs bar. In keeping with OperaUpClose’s ethos that opera should be accessible and intimate, this film of La Bohème is mainly middle to close-ups, as if we are in the room or at the table.
The music is clearly beautiful, with its sweeping melodies capturing the heart despite any insufficiencies in the dialogue and execution. This La Bohème is quirky and different, but a film designed for cinematic distribution is quite different from one originally planned for an audience of 35. Also, why does Mimi never warm up – the students aren’t exactly living in Siberia!
This is a deeply unusual film that just about wins over the audience by the end.
This modern London-set adaptation of Puccini’s La Bohème premiered in UK cinemas on 3 March, produced by Finite Films.