This adapted version of La bohème is an absolute gem. It keeps the spirit of the original but updates it with wit and relevance. Becca Marriott (who writes, directs and sings) adapts it for the small space of the Arcola by distilling the essence of the story so that four singers – backed only by a piano and a cello – can conjure up all the drama you see on the big opera house stages. A minor miracle and a total vindication of the Grimeborn idea.
Ralph and Mark are young creatives living on their wits and little else in East London. One night, neighbour Lucy (known as Mimi) stumbles stoned into their flat. Mark contrives a power cut and in the darkness they swap life stories and fall in love. Later, in a nearby cafe where the new lovers have met up with the cynical Mark, they encounter Mark’s old girlfriend, the glamorous Musetta (real name Maureen!) She flirts with an admirer to provoke Mark’s jealousy – and she succeeds in luring him back. The second act is set some weeks later and Ralph and Mimi’s relationship is already in trouble. Pressed by Mark, Ralph claims he has cause to be jealous but eventually admits that it is Mimi’s addiction to heroin that is driving him away. He loves her but he cant bear to watch her killing herself. By the final scene set a few months later, they have separated but suddenly Musetta turns up, bringing a wasted Mimi back to the flat. She begs for help finding a final fix.
The four young singers are all superb and the joy of the Arcola stage is that we, the audience, are so close up that we can appreciate the singers knowing they don’t need to stress their voices to fill an enormous auditorium. Becca Marriott is not just a great voice – as librettist and director, she displays total empathy with the development of the sad drama of Mimi’s life. We know from her first appearance that the seeds of her illness are already there and her hot/cold reaction to Ralph’s sudden declaration of devotion feels just right. As Ralph, Martins Smaukstelis is equally convincing both as the immature man who falls in love so suddenly and as the heartsick lover who wants to help Mimi but doesn’t know how to cope with her spiralling addiction. In the famous love duet his fine tenor voice is at its best and in the challenging music of the final bars of the first act, as the lovers depart for Cafe Momus, both Smaukstelis and Marriott are as good as it gets.
In the supporting love story, Valerie Wong and Thom Isherwood are similarly strong as Mark and Musetta – it is a treat to hear Puccini’s glorious music sung by such fine singer/actors who clearly care so much about the emotional impact of the story. The final tragic scene – even without the massed forces of an opera house orchestra – is overwhelming. Panaretos Kiriatzidis on piano and Alison Holford on cello can’t fill in all the light and shade of the full score but, in the Arcola studio, they provide all that is needed to help the singers to bring the story vividly to life.
Updating a classic is fraught with risk but this version by Becca Marriott (in collaboration with Adam Spreadbury-Maher in its first outing) is spot-on. While the central story is deeply sad, there is room for little details that leaven it with humour. Mimi tells us she works in a call centre in Euston, Ralph is writing a review of hair straighteners for Amazon. While the original version relies on details of the life of penniless students in Paris, this production feels like the librettist knows her London. But just one warning – don’t sit in the front row if you are easily embarrassed by being flirted with.
Each year I hope to find at least one real treasure at Grimeborn – sometimes there are more. I hope this is the first of many in 2024.
Composer: Giacomo Puccini
Librettist: Becca Marriott (adapted from original by Luigi Illica)
Conductor: Panaretos Kiriatzidis
Director: Becca Marriott
Performers : Becca Marriott, Thom Isherwood, Martins Smaukstelis, Valerie Wong
Running time: 1 hr 50 Mins
Until 24 August 2024