We've been told, we who write for the Tulsa World, to keep stories short and to the point, so here goes:

Tulsa Opera's "La Boheme" is about as good as opera gets.

The opening night performance at the Tulsa PAC was definitely one of the best productions we've seen and heard of this Giacomo Puccini opera about a handful of starving artists and the women they love.

It was superbly sung, from the leads to the multigenerational chorus; directed to produce performances that were as human and believable as opera acting can be; and accompanied by an orchestra held in perfect control by a sensitive conductor.

Director Stanley M. Garner isn't one to impose some personal "vision" on the operas he directs, but neither is he one to shy away from staging scenes that include elements that make perfect sense in the context of the story and the times, but that audiences might find well, surprising (the topless model -- seen only from the back, of course -- and the mimed use of a chamber pot, both in Act Four).

But then, the story is about "la vie boheme" in 19th- century Paris, and such things were the norm. It is also a remarkably effective device for making the opera's central characters seem like flesh-and-blood people.

The heightened emotions and epic, concentrated passions conveyed by the music and story aren't that far removed from the quiet people who watched from the Chapman Music Hall's new burgundy seats.

Soprano Sara Jakubiak and baritone Hyung Yun make their company debuts as Mimi and Marcello, respectively, and they are marvelous.

Jakubiak's voice is rich and resonant, highly expressive and solid from top to bottom -- the easy way she sent aloft the final, off-stage note of the duet "O soave fanciulla" sent chills down the spine.

And she is also one of those singers who can truly act with her voice -- tracing the emotional arc from shyness to rapture to embarrassment in "Mi chiamano Mimi," the despair of being alone in "O buon Marcello, aiuto," and the happy delirium of her final duet, "Sono andati?"

Yun seems perfectly at home in the skin of the quick-tempered artist Marcello; he does not strike a false note vocally or dramatically, although some of his mannerisms during jealous rages during Act Three get dangerously close to being cartoonish.

Both Yeghishe Manucharyan as Rodolfo and Donita Volkwijn as Musetta are making their third appearances with Tulsa Opera. Volkwijn is a nicely saucy and headstrong Musetta, who relishes the effect she has on most men, Marcello in particular, demonstrated in the buoyant way she sang "Quando me'n vo."

Manucharyan's voice sounded oddly small and underpowered in the opening moments, but it grew more assertive as the opera went on, the tone clear and bright. He is comparatively stiff on stage, however, although in this role it works somewhat to his advantage. It gives his performance an odd sort of innocence -- this Rodolfo is still a bit of a little boy, rather than worldly wise roue. That makes the dreams he shares in the well-sung "Che gelida manina" and the fear and helplessness he confesses in "Gia un'altra volta credetti" seem more touching and tragic.

Charles Temkey sang Colline's farewell to his prized possession, "Vecchia zimarra," in an understated but greatly effective way. Ross Benoliel was a spirited Schaunard, Peter Strummer deftly stole his scenes as the landlord Benoit in Act One and the stuffy Alcindoro in Act Two, and Christopher Jones made a brief but striking impression as the toy vendor Parpignol.

Tulsa Opera artistic director Kostis Protopapas led the Tulsa Opera Orchestra in a performance that had all the richness one could want from Puccini's innately dramatic music without ever swamping the sound of the performers on stage.

Protopapas also prepared the chorus, showcased to great effect in Garner's panoramic staging of Act Two.

In a talk earlier in the week, Protopapas said that "La Boheme" is one of those indispensable works of art that everyone needs to experience at least once in his or her life.


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© Copyright 2008, TULSA WORLD, OKLA.