B.C.’s top young professional opera singers are bringing a beloved classic to life at the Shadbolt Centre for the Arts.
Burnaby Lyric Opera is presenting Puccini’s La Bohème, running until Feb. 27 at the Shadbolt.
The timeless tale of love, loss, deception and heartbreak stars soprano Chloe Hurst (a Burnaby resident) as Mimi, with tenor Kwangmin Brian Lee as her lover, Rodolfo.
They live in a dank Parisian garrett amid a group of bohemian friends that includes the painter Marcello (baritone Jason Cook) and his lover, Musetta (soprano Gwendolyn Yearwood).
Those familiar with the story will know that flirtation and jealousy create an underlying atmosphere of foreboding, culminating in Mimi’s death.
The ensemble also includes bass-baritone Brandon Thornhill as Schannard and bass-baritone Peter Monaghan as Colline.
“Burnaby Lyric Opera is the ‘jumping-off point’ for young opera singers in B.C. on their way to the major opera houses of the world, and this is your chance to see the next generation of great opera singers in action,” a press release says.
Also in the cast is baritone Ian Brown, who regularly performed with the Vancouver Opera Chorus in the 1970s and ’80s and is returning to the stage following his retirement from a high school teaching career.
The production is headed by stage director Richard Berg and music director Angus Kellett.
La Bohème is onstage Feb. 20, 25 and 27 at 8 p.m., with 2 p.m. matinees on Feb. 22 and 24.
Tickets are $35 regular and $30 for students and seniors, or $15 for all matinee seats.
Buy online at tickets.shadboltcentre.com, or see www.burnabylyricopera.org for more.
