La Bohème (Opera North). Theatre Royal, Nottingham, 19 November 2025, 5☆☆☆☆☆. Review: William Ruff.

Photo Credit: Richard H Smith.

La Bohème (Opera North).  Theatre Royal, Nottingham, 19 November 2025,

5☆☆☆☆☆. Review: William Ruff.

“A revival of an evergreen hit, still pulsing with life.”

Opera North’s production of La Bohème may be 32 years old now but it’s still as fresh as the paint which Marcello dribbles onto his canvases in that freezing cold garret, in a Paris updated to an entirely credible 1950s.  If you’d never seen Phyllida Lloyd’s vision of one of opera’s most tuneful hits before, you’d never guess that it wasn’t brand new.  Each revival not only injects fresh energy but seems to catch the mood of each new audience.

If you had to find two words to sum up La Bohème’s plot they would surely be Love and Money, both of which are not just present in Opera North’s version but are inextricably entwined.  The love between Rodolfo and Mimi isn’t exactly a slow-burn; it’s the ultimate case of love-at-first-sight and I doubt whether you would ever see finer acting than in this production as the pair meet in the dark and pretend to search for a lost key.  It is very sweet – but also highly believable, as we share in the joy of two people whose lives are about to be transformed. 

Designers Anthony Ward and Rick Fisher let us see that love equals warmth and light.  The opera opens on a freezing cold Christmas Eve and, when Mimi appears, love literally brings warmth into the icebox of a garret.  And Garry Walker’s conducting wrings every bit of warmth from the orchestra as Puccini’s soaring, romantic melodies create a sort of sonic light that contrasts with the gloomy, cash-strapped surroundings.

Poverty is always a threat in this story.  The four flatmates are so cold that Rodolfo even burns his own manuscripts to keep warm.  There’s nothing romantic in this production about poverty: it is a real, grinding condition that shapes every decision that the characters make.  As the opera progresses, the banter stops and lack of money becomes a matter of life… or rather, death.  This production’s final scene is almost unbearably moving. 

Amongst many reasons why Opera North have had such a hit on their hands for so many years is that they always manage to find casts that are the right age and can act – and I mean really act.  The squalor in which the students live is achieved with wit and realism.  The Café Momus into which they escape bursts with colour and pulsing energy, thanks in large part to the company’s Chorus, each member a fully-formed individual.  And the children of ON’s Youth Company are a delightful bonus.

Joshua Blue as Rodolfo and Isabela Diaz as Mimi are brilliantly cast: soaring, lyrical voices matched with all the vulnerability of young love.  They sing some of opera’s best-known music – but it always sounds natural and crucial to the action.

There is also much fine singing and acting talent elsewhere: Josef Jeongmeen, Seán Boylan and Han Kim play Rodolfo’s three student friends, as strong in banter as they are participants in the final tragedy.  Katie Bird is the spiky, vivacious Musetta, undoubtedly high-maintenance but with a heart of gold.

Opera North’s orchestra is on top form and conductor Garry Walker coaxes some ravishing sounds from them.  I attended a performance to which the company had invited some young, first-time opera-goers.  Some of them sat behind me, clearly riveted by what they saw and heard.  On the way out, I heard them saying that they now need more opera in their lives.  I can understand why.

La Bohème (Opera North)

Isabela Diaz (Mimi), Joshua Blue (Rodolfo), Josef Jeongmeen Ahn (Marcello), Katie Bird (Musetta), Seán Boylan (Schaunard), Han Kim (Colline), Jeremy Peaker (Benoît/Alcindoro) and Company.

Chorus of Opera North

Orchestra of Opera North

Garry Walker (Conductor), Phyllida Lloyd (Director), James Hurley (Revival Director), Anthony Ward (Set and Costumes Designer), Rick Fisher (Lighting Designer).