Houston's Weekend Planning Guide

    
     It was in 1896 Italian composer Giacomo Puccini created this opera and it was Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa libretto, based on Scènes de la vie de bohème by Henri Murgertto that gave it life. This weekend Miller Outdoor Theatre will Present La Boheme, Produced by Houston Grand Opera. La bohème has become part of the standard Italian opera repertory and is one of the most frequently performed operas worldwide.
      Puccini’s enchanting La bohème tells the heartbreaking tale of a group of young, Parisian artists living life to the fullest during the bohemian revolution.
      In this beloved production, Mimì and Rodolfo’s romance unfolds against a set inspired by Marcello’s paintings, as if their story is seen through his eyes. With delightful music you’ll recognize, this famous tale is one you won’t want to miss.

     The libretto of La bohème is based on Henri Murger's novel, Scènes de la vie de bohème, a collection of vignettes portraying young bohemians living in the Latin Quarter of Paris in the 1840s. Although usually called a novel, it has no unified plot. Like the 1849 play by Murger and Théodore Barrière, the opera's libretto focuses on the relationship between Rodolfo and Mimì, ending with her death. Also like the play, the libretto combines two characters from the novel, Mimì and Francine, into the single character of Mimì.