One of the constraints of Puccini’s opera La Bohème is that it is so well known, centered as it is on a tubercular protagonist who ultimately dies, that performances can come across as lifeless. Thanks to a spirited cast of performers and an intriguing portrayal of this bohemian classic – set in 1930s Germany as opposed to the original opera in the Latin Quarter of Paris in the 1830s – this Gale Edwards production continues to be highly entertaining and well worth seeing.

While our introduction to Mimì was a little circumspect compared to the boisterous interplay between the artists, the relationship between Korean-born Yosep Kang as Rodolfo and Natalie Aroyan as Mimì was truly moving, their passion captured superbly by unforced yet powerfully soaring voices. Kang in particular was a standout, his rich tenor voice world-class as he veered from youthful lover to chummy poet, and finally to desperate partner in Act Four. His performance is itself worth the price of admission. Aroyan was at her best in her back and forth with Rodolfo in the First Act. In Act Four the action seemed to run out of steam, though Aroyan did an admirable job of maintaining a tender...