Puccini's "La bohème" to close out 2018 Spotlight on Opera season at Centenary
SHREVEPORT, LA — The Spotlight on Opera vocal training program completes a successful first summer at Centenary College this weekend with a fresh, modern take on one of Puccini’s most beloved operas, La bohème. The classic will be performed in Anderson Auditorium at Centenary’s Hurley School of Music on Saturday, July 28, at 7:00 p.m. and Sunday, July 29, at 2:00 p.m. The opera will be sung in Italian, with supertitles.
“I’m thrilled to bring this modern version of Puccini’s gorgeous and heart-wrenching opera to Spotlight and to the Shreveport arts community,” says Cindy Sadler, executive director of Spotlight on Opera and artist-in-residence at Hurley. “The story and the music are eminently accessible and most people will recognize many of the beautiful melodies.”
La bohème, filled with sweeping melodies such as the immortal “Musetta’s Waltz,” is based on Henri Munger’s La vie de bohème, detailing the lives of struggling young artists in 19th century Paris’s Quartier Latin. The themes and personal stories remain relevant and inspired the modern-day Broadway musical, Rent.
La bohème is Spotlight’s first full-length Puccini opera and provides stage director Joshua T. Miller with the opportunity to create his own update to the popular tale. Using the lofts, art galleries, and studios of modern-day Paris, Miller sets the scene for the stories of screenwriter Rodolfo (Thomas Soto), his starving artist roommate Marcello (Seán Kroll), and their girlfriends Mimi (Cara Ferro) and Musetta (Jenna Fife). The production also features John Lackey as Colline and Centenary junior, baritone Carlos Romero, as Schaunard – ironically, an impoverished music student.
In addition to Miller’s stage direction, La bohème also showcases the talents of musical director Kristin Roach and collaborative pianist Riley McKinch. Cindy Sadler produced the show for Spotlight on Opera.
“This is our final production of the 2018 season, and we’re extremely touched by the welcome we’ve received at Centenary and in the wider community,” says Sadler. “We can’t wait to return next summer – and we’ll be announcing our 2019 season at the final performance of La bohème on Sunday!”
Tickets are $20 for the general public and $10 for seniors, military, and students with ID. Centenary students, faculty, and staff are free. Tickets and more information are available at SpotlightOnOpera.com or centenary.edu/spotlightonopera.