The pair normally had to function as the comic relief in the midst of the opera’s main romantic relationships and they more than rose to the occasion.Īndrew Payne had a fantastic character voice in his dual roles as landlord Benoit and Musetta’s elderly lover, Alcindoro. Pleuss was spry and delightfully over dramatic at times as musician Schaunard. Shariff’s dry, witty delivery was perfect for philosopher Colline. Zain Shariff (Colline) and Joe Pleuss (Schaunard) rounded out the cast of Bohemians. As the scene stealing Musetta, Francesca Aguado truly commanded the center of attention in her scenes, especially with the vocally impressive “Musetta’s Waltz,” perhaps the most well known song from the opera. His physical comedy bits were hilarious and his gangly stature and sharp comedic timing was extremely reminiscent of Neil Patrick Harris. Jason Buckwalter as artist Marcello was energetic and sincere.
Simpson and DeMers also had an effortlessly adorable onstage chemistry, making the tired “love at first sight”cliche actually believable. DeMers’ Act III aria “Donde Lieta Usci” when she was attempting to break up with Rodolfo was heartbreaking and left most of the audience in tears. DeMers is sweetly demure as ingenue seamstress Mimi and has a pure, lilting soprano voice. Simpson has a smooth, deeply rich tenor voice and a powerful presence as the poet Rodolfo. Photo by Peck Hull Design.Īs leading lovers, Nicholas Simpson as Rodolfo and Gabrielle DeMers as Mimi were truly a perfect pair. The talented cast at Hagerstown Hub Opera beautifully brings the love story to life. Relationships flourish and fall apart and the story is well known today as the basis for the rock musical Rent. La Boheme is one of the most well-known operatic stories about a group of young, impoverished artists struggling to make ends meet while holding onto their artistic ideals in a Parisian garret. as brilliantly used in their marketing campaign, “the struggle is real” for the characters in Puccini’s La Boheme, currently running at Hub Opera Ensemble. Director Phillip Collister and Musical Director Andrew Rosenfeld have done a fantastic job breathing new life into a classic opera. Starving artists, jealous relationships, chronic illnesses….
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