A Night at the Opera

David took me to the opera the other day. It was La Bohème by Puccini.

The music and singing are fantastic. One aria after another that most would recognize from the "greatest hits of the opera". And so incredibly emotionally moving!

It's about four "Bohemians" (young starving artists) living in a garret in Paris. Rodolfo is a poet, Schaunard a musician, Colline a philosopher, and Marcello a painter.

In the first act we are introduced to the carefree young men who put a fast one over on their landlord.

It's Christmas eve, and having saved the rent money the boys decide to go out into the Latin Quarter to celebrate. Rodlfo stays behind to quickly finish up some work and will join them. At this point, his new next door neighbour, a girl named Mimi, asks for help as her candle went out. Rodolfo helps her and they fall in love.

This photo was from our production - we had a black Mimi!

In the second act they are at the Cafe Momus on Christmas Eve.

This is where my favourite character, a young charmer named Musetta first enters, elegantly dressed and on the arm of a wealthy older man.

It is clear that she has a past with Marcello the painter, and they give each other the cold shoulder. But Musetta is really in lust with Marcello, and hates being with the boring rich man (she clearly sleeps with him for his money, which drives the jealous Marcello mad). She pretends that her shoe falls apart, makes the old man run to find a cobbler to fix it. Meanwhile she reunites with Marcello lustilly and sticks the rich old guy with the bill.

Musetta is the naughty one in the story. One of her big arias is called Quando M'en Vo, which is Italian for "When I go along". This aria shows how naughty she really is! Here is one of the best (and prettiest!) opera singers in the world, Anna Netrebko, singing it in concert.

The lyrics go like this (the last part is directed at Marcello).

When walking alone on the streets,
People stop and stare
And examine my beauty
From head to toe
And then I savor the cravings
which from their eyes transpires
And from the obvious charms they perceive
The hidden beauties.
So the scent of desire is all around me,
It makes me happy!
And you who know, who remembers and yearns,
You shrink from me?
I know why this is:
You do not want to tell me of your anguish,
But you feel like dying!

Isn't she just a piece of work? Singing about how pretty she is and about how all the men lust after her hopelessly, and how much she enjoys it and it makes her happy. Ha ha. A perfect slutty tease!

The third act is on the outskirts of the city where Marcello and Rodolfo are working. Rodolfo had just broken up with Mimi the day before. Mimi comes to find them, and overhears them talking about the true reason for the breakup.

A rich Viscount has his eye on Mimi and Rodolfo was jealous. He breaks up with Mimi, ostensibly for reasons of jealousy, but really because Mimi is getting more and more ill, and Rodolfo cannot provide for her. The decide to spend a bit more time together and then Mimi goes off with the Viscount.

Also in this act, at the start Musetta and Marcello are together, but she flirts with a very attractive army officer. Marcello gets jealous and threatens to beat her, and Musetta takes off with the handsome young officer, telling Marcello she can make love with whomever she pleases! David thinks she should have gotten a spanking from Marcello. I cannot disagree.


In the final act Mimi, on the verge of death, leaves her Viscount and goes back to the garret to spend her final hours with Rodolfo. Musetta finds her on the street and helps her get there. Musetta demonstrates a kind heart by selling her earrings for medicine and a doctor, and buying Mimi her last wish, a warm fur muff for her very cold hands. She prays to God and the Virgin to save Mimi, acknowledging that she herself is fallen, but that Mimi is an angel.

Mimi dies before the doctor can arrive, with all her friends around her. At the very moment of her death there is a big orchestra chord. A few moments later when Rodolfo realizes she is dead, the music swells in an emotional outpouring that brings the opera to a close.

So amazing! I loved it. There is nothing like a good opera (especially a Puccini opera such as Boheme or Madame Butterfly) to stir all your senses and emotions ridiculously.

Sorry for the distraction, we will now return to our regularly scheduled kinky programming!