Come for the pit orchestra, stay for the original Italian opera version of RENT. La Bohème at Catholic University’s Hartke Theater brings a daunting classic opera to life with grace, power — and helpful English supertitles.
Composed by Giacomo Puccini (d. 1924) and directed by Erica Ferguson, with music direction by Simeone Tartaglione, La Bohème is an opera in four acts set in Paris around 1830 that showcases the Bohemian lifestyle of a seamstress and her artist friends. This 19th-century Italian opera tells the parallel love stories of Mimi (Lin Gong) and Rodolfo (Jason Guerrero) and of Musetta (Sophia Spencer) and Marcello (Gabriel Thompson). The poor seamstress Mimi falls in love with the poet Rodolfo when she comes knocking on his door asking for a light after her candle blows out, and they fall in love at first sight. Mimi accompanies Rodolfo and his friends to Café Momus, where the painter Marcello, Rodolfo’s friend, falls in love with his former lover Musetta. The trials of love, poverty, and sickness unfold in the second act as Rodolfo and his friends realize that Mimi is not well.
From sheer vocal performance to choreographing the chaos of a Paris street at Christmas, the Rome School of Music, Drama, and Art students pull off a challenging piece of art in La Bohème. The acting choices are understated, but the music and vocal performances alone carry the show.
Leads Gong and Guerrero outshine the rest of the cast in vocal ability. Their voices harmonize beautifully during their duet (O soave fanciulla — “Oh lovely girl”) in the semi-darkness of Rodolfo’s apartment, and Gong’s voice resounds in the theater space. Their character choices remain understated throughout the piece, but both are able to use voice alone — even in Italian — to convey the emotion of the piece and the movement of the plot.
Thompson, on the other hand, leans into the comedy of the piece. His use of physical humor and his sense of comic irony lighten the otherwise somber tone of the storyline, and the occasional antics of play sword fighting and dancing lend a much-needed comic edge.
Costumes by Margaret E. Weedon, scenic design by Sarah Beth Call, and lighting by Jason Aufden-Brinke made the show visually interesting. A contrast of the vibrant reds, golds, and greens of other Parisian characters at Café Momus with the grays and blues of Mimi, Rodolfo, and company bring out the division between the poor lives of artist friends and the extravagance of Paris. The lighting and colors of the stage also shift to grays and blues in the second act as the play takes a tragic turn, with warm light returning only through the memory of love songs.
Eighty minutes of Italian opera with almost no mistakes at the college level is no easy feat. The production hit only one hiccup Thursday night when one of the backdrops collided with a misplaced sofa during a scene change and began to swing from its ropes. But the actors played it off while taking the stage, and one of the crew members scrambled to move the offending furniture while the audience applauded him. And so the show goes on.
Running Time: 80 minutes with a 10-minute intermission
La Bohème plays through March 30, 2025, presented by the Benjamin T. Rome School of Music, Drama, and Art, performing at the Hartke Theatre, 3801 Harewood Rd. NE, Washington, DC, on the campus of the Catholic University of America. Tickets (students, $10; senior/military, or faculty/staff, $20; general adult) are available online.
COVID Safety: Masks are optional
La Bohème
Directed by Erica Ferguson
Music Direction by Simeone Tartaglione
CAST (Thursday & Saturday)
Lin Gong (Mimi)
Sophia Spencer (Musetta)
Jason Guerrero (Rodolfo)
Gabriel Thompson (Marcello)
Keegan Brush (Schuanard)
Yilin Xu* (Colline)
Daniel Campbell** (Colline)
Linsen Yang (Alcindoro/Benoit, Ensemble)
Jason DeSilva (Alcindoro/Benoit u/s, Ensemble)
Yihan Ye (Papignol, Ensemble)
*Thursday only
**Saturday only
CAST (Friday & Sunday)
Natalie Barsoum (Mimi)
Nora Spring (Musetta)
Hyo Chang An (Rodolfo)
Joey Chee (Marcello)
Miguel Villalobos (Parpignol, Ensemble)
Keegan Brush (Schuanard)
Daniel Campbell* (Colline)
Linsen Yang (Alcindoro/Benoit, Ensemble)
Jason DeSilva (Alcindoro/Benoit u/s, Ensemble)
*Sunday only
ENSEMBLE
Zhe Luo
Ziwei Lin
Ava Seastrom
Xuan Zhang
Tammy Justine Pattugalan
Dieer Hu
Katherine Mackenzie
Elise McClorey
Georgia Sigler
Linyan Luo
CREATIVE TEAM/CREW
Scenic Designer (Sarah Beth Hall)
Audio Engineer (Michelle Janota)
Lighting Designer (Jason Aufdem-Brinke)
Area Head for Vocal Performance/Opera (Sharon Christman)
Opera Coach (Keesun Kwon)
Stage Manager (Carolyn Shaffer)
Audio Engineer (Michelle Janota)
Assistant Lighting Designer (Camille Kashaka)
Maestro (Simeone Tartaglione)
Coach/Rehearsal Accompanist (Nicolas Catravas)
Assistant Stage Manager (Julia Schroeder)
Assistant Conductors (Simeon Morrow, Enrique Victoria-Obando, Faith Foster, Filippo Boschini)
Light Board Operator (Erin Peters)
Sound Board Operator (Daniel Schlegel)
Deck Crew (Jacob Harris, Natalie Watson)
Youth Chorus Supervisor (Ceci Curran)
Wardrobe Crew (Katherine Vadney, Ceci Curran)
Follow Spot Operator (Sophie Rivkin-Fish, Kennedy McCann)
Supertitles Operator (Alaina Gust)
CHILDREN’S CHOIR
Aleksia Membrano
Zoe Martinez Garcia
Rebeca Vega
Hnin Win
Kelly Martinez Ortiz
David DeVries
Jefferson Melgar Affaro
Irie Cantarella
Genesis Villanueva
Jakelin Salmeron Sorto
Lucy DeVries
Erica Tartaglione
