“In this case, it starts with him being a relatively happy-go-lucky bohemian poet and it ends with him being absolutely heartbroken and crushed, but it’s a very fun story arc to discover and you get to discover it anew every single night.” “One of the most gratifying things is having this personality arc that starts in one place and ends in another,” he said. He said it’s the opera that got him hooked on opera and he’s always played the romantic and troubled poet Rodolfo. This is around the 30th performance of La Bohème for tenor Martin Renner-Wallace, who hails from Victoria. You really have to have a hatred for opera if you don’t like it.” “I think it’s hard not to enjoy it when you listen to it. It’s a lot of fun,” he said of the opera.

“It’s got everything from love and happiness to tragedy. He said La Bohème is his favourite opera and while he’s performed it as part of the chorus in the past, this is his first time in a lead role. Nanaimo-raised baritone Jeremy Roszmann plays the role of the laid-back musician Schaunard, a character he’s always wanted to play. In casting the opera Fetherston sought to bring in highly trained up-and-coming performers who have yet to break into the “upper echelon,” as well as singers from the Island. “What’s happening here is I have seen all kinds of people come forward, want to know more about the production, want to participate in it, the volunteers are coming out of the woodwork … There’s a great deal of excitement about this production.” “Yes, it’s a big step forward, but I think Nanaimo’s ready for it,” she said. Producer and artistic director Carol Fetherston said it’s an ambitious undertaking for Opera Nanaimo. The production features a cast of 48 including the chorus and 12-member children’s choir, with lighting design by Michael Stebbings, whose past credits include the Yellowpoint Christmas Spectacular. 9 and 10 Opera Nanaimo presents Giacomo Puccini’s 1896 opera La Bohème at Malaspina Theatre. Nanaimo’s opera company is staging its first full production next month as it tells the story of six struggling bohemians living in 19th century Paris.

La boheme opera length