Lyric Opera 2024-2025 Issue 7 - La bohème

Lyric Opera of Chicago | 20 ACT I Christmas Eve. A struggling young poet Rodolfo and his friend Marcello, a painter, are working in a Parisian garret. It is a bitterly cold Christmas Eve, and they have no money for food or firewood. Colline, a student of philosophy, arrives, also broke. To their delight, another friend, the musician Schaunard, enters bearing food, drink, and firewood — he has just been paid by a patron. The four of them celebrate. The landlord Benoit arrives, demanding the overdue rent. Unable to pay, the Bohemians distract him with wine. This loosens his tongue, and he begins to boast about his extramarital affairs. The bohemians, feigning indignation, throw him out. Marcello, Colline and Schaunard head out to the Café Momus, but Rodolfo stays behind to finish an article he is writing. There is a knock at the door. It is Mimì, a young seamstress who lives upstairs. The wind blows out her candle. She drops her key, and they search for it in the darkness. Finding it, Rodolfo tells her of his poetry; Mimì tells him of her life. They fall in love. (brief pause for scene change) ACT II Later that night in the Latin Quarter. Full of high spirits, the four bohemians and Mimì join the throng. Hat sellers, toy sellers, and vendors of all sorts crowd the streets. The bohemians take a table at the Café Momus and begin to celebrate the holiday. Marcello’s tempestuous ex-girlfriend Musetta enters with Alcindoro, her wealthy new lover. She becomes furious when Marcello pretends to ignore her, but it is clear that Musetta and Marcello still have feelings for each other. She finds an excuse to send Alcindoro away on an errand. When a military parade passes by, the lovers and their friends slip away into the crowd, leaving Alcindoro to pay the bill. INTERMISSION A gift in memory of David L. Grumman Anonymous Donor Josef & Margot Lakonishok Lisbeth Stiffel The Julius Frankel Foundation The Beaubien Family Gramma Fisher Foundation of Marshalltown, Iowa Richard O. Ryan Lori Komisar and Morris Silverman Lyric Opera of Chicago gratefully acknowledges the support of the NIB Foundation Italian Opera Endowment and the Mary Patricia Gannon Puccini Opera Endowment. A Production of Los Angeles Opera and The Dallas Opera Production by Herbert Ross Stage Design by Gerard Howland Original Costume Design by Peter Hall Costume Design by Jeannique Prospere Set Construction by Seattle Opera Scenic Studios Costume Construction by the Los Angeles Opera Costume Shop and the Dallas Opera Costume Shop Supertitles courtesy of Los Angeles Opera Lyric Opera of Chicago thanks its Official Airline,American Airlines. APPROXIMATE TIMINGS This production will be performed with one intermission. Acts I & II 1 hour Intermission 25 minutes Act III & IV 55 minutes TOTAL 2 hours 20 minutes LYRIC’S 2024/25 SEASON IS PRESENTED BY Erika Gross in loving memory of Dietrich Gross Julie & Roger Baskes Synopsis TIME | Montmartre, Paris PLACE | Late 1880s PRODUCTION SPONSORS