La Boheme: The Concert Event March 18, 2010

March 18-27, 2010; Thurs 7pm, Fri and Sat 8pm

Virago Theatre Company transforms Puccini's masterpiece into a multi-media concert event set in modern San Francisco and sung in Italian. From the grit of the Tenderloin to the glitter of Nob Hill, four artists ache for sensuality and inspiration but face unbearable heartbreak. Robert Lundy-Paine directs and narrates this glorious opera at the elegant Rhythmix Cultural Works with accompaniment by Skye Atman, Elizabeth Gaston and Dianne Springfield conducted by Andrew Whitfield. Featuring SF Opera member Eileen Meredith as Mimi and Alameda Civic Light Opera's Ray Chavez as Rodolfo, Zoltan DiBartolo as Schaunard, Amy Giovannetti as Musetta, Jo Vincent Parks as Marcello, Paul Thompson as Colline, and Horus Jack Tolson as Benoit/Alcindoro.

A group of San Francisco artists huddle in a freezing apartment, burning scripts and paintings to keep warm. Upstairs, the beautiful Mimi, stricken with poverty and unspeakably hard times, sits alone in the dark and the cold when her only candle goes out. So begins Puccini's masterpiece that takes us from the dirt and grit of the city to the splendor of Cafe Momus, swarming with opulence and greed. Mimi, Rodolfo, Marcello and Musetta ignite the stage with passion and romance as they grasp desperately for a pure and simple love that will never be theirs.

The inspiration for the musical RENT and one of the most popular operas of all time, Virago Theatre Company's La Boheme: The Concert Event will be performed at the elegant Rhythmix Cultural Works where Virago staged Candide in 2008.

Official Website: http://www.viragotheatre.org