A cross-country opera tour that brings a reimagined version of “La Boheme” to bars visits the SRO Night Club Tuesday, Oct. 8 at 7:30 p.m.
The tour is run by Against the Grain Theatre (AtG).
CBC’s free streaming service, CBC Gem, will carry the company’s Oct. 13 performance live, marking Canada’s first-ever professional opera livestream.
The well-known story follows tenor Marcel D’entremont (recent winner of the 2018-19 Wirth Vocal Prize) as Rodolfo, an aspiring screenplay writer with a flighty heart who falls in love with a florist and sewing enthusiast named Mimì, sung by Jonelle Sills.
Baritone Clarence Frazer (Canadian Opera Company Ensemble graduate) sings Marcello, an OCAD-trained illustrator whose flirty sweetheart named Musetta, a visual artist (“I don’t paint; I visualize”) sung by soprano Danika Lorèn (recently performed Musetta at the Canadian Opera Company), is anything but faithful.
Rounding out the cast is baritone Andrew Adridge as street musician Schaunard (always showing up with snacks and cash); bass-baritone Giles Tomkins as Colline (a PhD student); and baritone Greg Finney in the roles of Benoît (the landlord) and Alcindoro (an investment banker).
La Bohème is directed by AtG founder and artistic director Joel Ivany and Music Director David Eliakis at the piano, designs by Adriana Bogaard (set and costume) and Imogen Wilson (lighting).
Destinations for the tour include Banff, Calgary, and Medicine Hat, Alberta; Regina, Saskatchewan; Brandon and Winnipeg, Manitoba; Kenora, Thunder Bay, Sudbury, Toronto, Ontario and Whitehorse, Dawson City, Yukon.
“This is an incredible moment for the staff, volunteers and artists that have poured their energies into AtG over the past 10 years,” said Ivany, in a press release.
“This partnership shows the continued possibilities that can exist between the large and smaller companies that make up our arts ecosystem.”
Tickets to the show cost $25 each. They can be purchased online through the theatre company's website.
