Opera Memphis Sets LA BOHEME in 1910's Beale Street

Opera Memphis will conclude its 2023-24 season with Giacomo Puccini's “La Boheme,” last seen in Memphis in 2012. The company will present a unique incarnation of one of the most performed operas in the world, transporting the original story's characters from 1830's Paris to 1910's Memphis. This highly anticipated production is a part of the McCleave Project, Opera Memphis' initiative to connect opera to the city of Memphis in deeper, more meaningful ways. In keeping with the historical realities of Beale Street in that era, the principal cast, conductor and stage director are all Black artists. Memphis Black Arts Alliance has partnered with Opera Memphis to ensure the chorus equally reflects the diversity of the city, both then and now.  Performances will take place May 17 and 18 at 7:30 p.m. at the Scheidt Family Performing Arts Center at the University of Memphis.

“In 1915, Memphis and Beale Street were at the center of Black music and culture in America,” said Ned Canty, Opera Memphis' general director. “Our favorite example is William Grant Still, known as the ‘Dean of African-American Composers.' Before his works premiered at Carnegie Hall and New York City Opera, he played on Beale Street for W.C. Handy, the ‘Father of the Blues.' It's a fabulous parallel to the Paris of the 1830s, where musicians and artists were creating work that would define the rest of the century.”

“La Boheme” follows the lives of six struggling artists, including poet Rodolfo and seamstress Mimi, who fall in love, despite her declining health. The opera inspired later works such as the Broadway smash “Rent” and Baz Luhrmann's film “Moulin Rouge!” and has been referenced throughout pop culture in movies like “Moonstruck,” songs like Queen's “Bohemian Rhapsody” and even in an episode of “The Simpsons,” where Homer plays the leading role. 

Conducting Opera Memphis' 2024 production of “La Boheme” is Jeri Lynne Johnson, founder and artistic director of the Black Pearl Chamber Orchestra in Philadelphia. Opera Memphis' first fellow of the McCleave Project, Dennis Whitehead Darling, returns to Memphis as stage director. Reginald Smith Jr. returns to Memphis as Marcello, joining Metropolitan Opera tenor Chauncey Packer as Rodolfo. Handorf Company Artists Marquita Richardson and Kayla Oderah star as Mimi and Musetta, respectively.

Tickets to “La Boheme” are available at operamemphis.org. One hour prior to each performance, Opera Memphis will lead a pre-show talk for ticket buyers, during which the artistic team will provide insights into the work's themes, music and production. 

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