Boston Lyric Opera Presents Puccini's LA BOHEME Tonight

Boston, MA - Giacomo Puccini's indelible characters, led by doomed lovers Mimì and Rodolfo, make a 120-year leap from the 1840s to the 1960s as Boston Lyric Opera (BLO) premieres a new production of the much beloved, often-reinvented La Bohème. Transitioning the story of mid-19thcentury Parisian bohemian artists to mid-20th century student artists on the brink of social change, thisBohème opens BLO's French-influenced 2015/2016 Season and runs tonight, October 2, through October 11, 2015 at the Citi Performing Arts CenterSM Shubert Theatre.

The production is directed by Rosetta Cucchi, who makes her American opera debut, with production concept and set design by BLO Artistic Advisor John Conklin, costume design by Nancy Leary,lighting by D.M. Wood, and hair and makeup design by Jason Allen who marks his 50th production with the company. BLO Music Director David Angus conducts. BLO's La Bohème marks the long-awaited return of audience favorite Kelly Kaduce as Mimì and the company debut of internationally-acclaimed Tony Award-winner Jesus Garcia as Rodolfo, leading an exciting cast of singers.

Set amidst the 1968 Paris student revolts that reflected generational unrest and supported strikes that brought the city to its knees, this production is influenced by the spirit of defiance embodied in French New Wave films (particularly Jean-Luc Godard's "Masculin Féminin") and the mod clothing inspired by London fashion that upended the city's haute couture reputation. BLO's new Bohème places Puccini's familiar story of bohemian artists fuled by idealism and passionate love in a graffiti-laden student flat, the revolutionaries' gathering place Café Momus, and alongside a barricade erected during the student riots. Audio recordings from the era and from the riots are an integral part of the production's sound design.

"This new production is not the traditional, sentimentalized Bohème," says Esther Nelson, BLO's Stanford Calderwood General & Artistic Director, "yet it retains the enormous emotional, narrative and musical strengths of the original. John Conklin's concept and design, and Rosetta Cucchi's direction will propel this version into a vivid, dramatic and theatrical framework. La Bohème remains one of the world's greatest love stories, this time with a fresh new perspective set in a somewhat mythological Paris, full of idealism and stark reality."

THE CAST

Internationally sought-after American soprano Kelly Kaduce plays Mimì, a seamstress. A graduate of Boston University, Kaduce received strong notices for her work in Lyric Opera of Chicago's February 2015 premiere production of Mieczyslaw Weinberg's The Passenger. A winner of the 1999 Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, Kaduce made her 2006 BLO debut in the title role of Jules Massenet's Thais. She has been acclaimed for performances as Cio-Cio San in Madama Butterflyat BLO and the West Australian Opera, Nedda in Florida Grand Opera's Pagliacci, the titular Salome at Opera Theatre of St. Louis, and Mimì in Opera Pacific's production of La Bohème. Kaduce also played the role in the touring company of Baz Luhrmann's acclaimed 2002 Broadway production.

Jesus Garcia, makes his BLO debut as the poet Rodolfo, a role he played on Broadway in Baz Luhrmann's acclaimed 2002 Broadway production. Garcia received a special Tony Award for his performance, which was shared during the run with two other singers. A composer as well as a performer, Garcia took a three-year hiatus from opera to write and record his first song-cycle, "Manifest Destiny." He returned in 2014 to artistic and critical success as Alfredo in Eva-Maria Hockmayer and Theater Heidelberg's provocative production of La Traviata. He recently played Alfredo at the Savonlinna Festival and the Badisches Staatstheater.

Other notable cast members include Jonathan Beyer as Marcello, a painter. Beyer debuted in the role of Figaro in BLO's 2012 production of the Il Barbiere di Siviglia. Emily Birsan makes her company debut as the singer, Musetta. Birsan appears regularly at Lyric Opera of Chicago, where she was a multi-year member of the Ryan Opera Center, mentored by Music Director and Principal Conductor Sir Andrew Davis. South Shore resident and South Shore Conservatory alumnus Andrew Garland returns to BLO, and to the role of Schaunard, which he previously sang in BLO's 2007 production. James Maddalena appears as Benoit, a landlord, and as Alcindoro, a state councilor. Perhaps the most internationally recognized performer in the cast, Maddalena is well-known for originating the lead role of Nixon in China, and has performed in numerous productions under director Peter Sellars.

THE CREATIVE TEAM

David Angus (Conductor and Music Director) - David Angus' career has taken him from his home near London to orchestras and opera companies all over the world. Appointed as BLO's music director in 2010, he now conducts the majority of the Company's operas each season. He also regularly conducts the London Philharmonic Orchestra, is the honorary conductor of the Symphony Orchestra of Flanders, and was previously the music director of Glimmerglass Opera, in addition to regularly working with some of the most celebrated musical organizations around the globe.

Rosetta Cucchi (Stage Director) - Since her operatic debut in 2004 with Braunfels' Prinzessin Brambilla at the Wexford Opera Festival, Rosetta Cucchi has established herself as an inventive stage director. Career highlights have included: Arrighetto at the Rossini Opera Festival in Pesaro, Italy(recorded on DVD by Bongiovanni); La Scala di Seta at Teatro de la Real Maestranza in Seville,Italy; Otello at Teatro Colon in Bogota, Colombia; and Il Barbiere di Siviglia and Gli Astrologi Immaginari at Paisiello Festival in Taranta, Italy. Cucchi and Angus have previously collaborated onSalomé in 2014 and L'arelesiana in 2012 at Wexford Festival Opera.

John Conklin (Set Designer) - John Conklin has designed sets on and off-Broadway, at the Kennedy Center, and for many opera companies through the U.S., including the Metropolitan Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Seattle Opera and across the globe. At BLO, Conklin works to develop new supplemental performances, lecture series and community events that enrich audiences' operatic experiences, and strengthen the presence of opera in the community.

Nancy Leary (Costume Designer) - Nancy Leary's theatrical career spans two decades. Her costumes have appeared on the stages of The Pittsburgh Symphony, Virginia Opera, Boston Lyric Opera, Opera Boston, Chautauqua Opera, Mobile Opera, Juilliard Opera, The Modern, and on the Boston Common for Commonwealth Shakespeare Company. Recently she completed productions in New York for Knife Edge Productions at The Abington and TGB Theatre.

D.M. Wood (Lighting Designer) - Lighting designer D.M. Wood has worked across the globe, in opera houses from Russia to Norway to Israel. Recent credits include: Don Giovanni (Bergen Nasjonale Opera - Norway), Norma (Gran Teatre del Liceu - Barcelona, Spain and San Francisco Opera), Anna Bolena (Lyric Opera of Chicago), Silent Night, Don Bucefalo and Salomé (Wexford Festival Opera - Ireland). Wood received the U.K. Knight of Illumination Opera Award in 2012 for her designs at the Royal Opera house.

Jason Allen (Wig and Makeup Designer) - Jason Allen has been working with Boston Lyric Opera since 2003. His recent career highlights include The Colored Museum (Huntington Theatre Company), The Manchurian Candidate (Minnesota Opera), Sense & Sensibility (The Dallas Theatre Center), La Fancuilla del West (Minnesota Opera), Tosca (Mill City Summer Opera), Swan Lake (Boston Ballet) and Awake and Sing! (Huntington Theatre Company). His upcoming productions include: The Marriage of Figaro (The Princeton Festival), Carmen (Minnesota Opera) and Kiss Me, Kate (Hartford Stage).

The balance of the BLO season includes Philip Glass' In the Penal Colony, a brand-new Opera Annex production running November 11-15 at The Cyclorama at the Boston Center for the Arts. From March 11-20, 2016, BLO returns to the Shubert Theatre with a new production of Jules Massenet's Werther. From April 29-May 8, BLO presents for the first time a production of composer Franz Lehár's classic operetta The Merry Widow, set in Paris.

BOHÈME BEYOND THE THEATER

As is the company's tradition, Opening Night of La Bohème on October 2 begins with the annual season gala and a post-performance reception at the Citi Performing Arts CenterSM Wang Theatre. The annual Opera Gala supports BLO's Emerging Artists with a celebratory evening, including a pre-opera dinner, the opening night performance, and an after-party with the cast.

Boston Lyric Opera has partnered with the Somerville Theater for Opera at the Movies on Saturday, September 12 at 7 p.m., featuring a screening of the Academy Award-winning movie Moonstruck, the 1987 classic featuring Cher as Loretta and Nicolas Cage as Ronny. (Loretta is moved to tears in a pivotal scene at Lincoln Center where she and Ronny attend La Bohème.) Emily Birsan will perform Musetta's Waltz at the event. Visit blo.org for more information and to purchase tickets ($10).

PERFORMANCE AND TICKET INFORMATION

Boston Lyric Opera's La Bohème runs October 2-11, 2015 at the Citi Performing Arts CenterSM Shubert Theatre, 265 Tremont Street, Boston, with evening performances at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday matinees at 3:00 p.m.

Tickets are $25-$175 and are available online at blo.org/buy-tickets, by phone at 866.348.9738 (TTY 888.889.8587), and in person at the Citi Performing Arts CenterSM Box Office at 270 Tremont Street, Boston. The Box Office is open Tuesdays through Saturdays from 12 noon to 6 p.m. and at the Shubert Theatre one hour before curtain. Group and student tickets are available through BLO Audience Services at 617.542.6772 or boxoffice@blo.org. Learn more at blo.org.

Tickets to BLO's La Bohème Opening Night gala are $750 including a pre-performance dinner, admission to the production, and a post-performance reception. Gala tickets are available at blo.org or by calling 617.542.4912 x229

Season subscriptions are available through blo.org/subscribe, or by contacting BLO Audience Services at 617.542.6772 or boxoffice@blo.org.

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