Last night we attended OCM La Bohème opera and we were blown away. La Bohème is our sentimental favorite. We’ve seen it multiple times — all huge productions in bigger, fancier venues — San Francisco Opera House, Montreal Opera, Baz Luhrmann’s adaptation for Broadway in New York, and the last time at the Met. But the La Bohème we saw last night beats them all in setting, tone, character, talent and costumes in our humble opinion.

What could be better than setting the apartment for struggling artists with the background of the Brooklyn Bridge. The iconic details in the objects on shelves such as the Bob Dylan album cover and James Baldwin photo took the audience to the 1970’s art scene.

The characters demonstrated playfulness, empathy for each other and also calling out bad behavior in the kind of camaraderie that artists form as they live together creating their craft. And those voices? And the orchestra? Wow! We had goosebumps and tears running down our cheeks at the beautiful sound everywhere. La Bohème takes place in the winter when hats and coats weren’t enough to warm these young artists. The varsity jacket that Rodolfo wears to the light blankets, thin sweaters and light coats emphasize the constant reminder that it’s not warm enough but warmed our hearts.

Never in our wildest dreams did we ever think that Doug Anderson’s production of La Bohème in Middlebury Vermont would be the one that we love the most.

Alicia Romero and Rene Langis

Middlebury