theordquiz.com

By Kate Wolf
   On Sat., Feb. 28, The Golden Husk featured a matinee performance of the well-known opera La Boheme by Giacomo Puccini and performed by UNL Opera on Tour sponsored by the James C. and Rhonda Seacrest Tour Nebraska Opera Fund through the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL). Directed by William Shomos, who is retiring in May after 32 years as Director of Opera at UNL, this would be his last production and the sixth time the opera has been featured at The Husk in Ord.
   Now you might not think that opera would be a big draw in a small rural community like Ord, but The Husk boasted a full house for this performance. People of all ages and walks of life, including children, crowded into the seats anxious for the performance to begin. La Boheme is considered the best opera for beginners just beginning to appreciate the art form because it is a relatively short, simple story with great music, a touching love story and a tragic death at the end. It’s really a collection of brief vignettes looking at a group of friends over the course of a few months living a bohemian lifestyle.
   Even though the story is set in Paris in the 1830s, the opera is written in Italian with English subtitles above the set so you could easily understand what the characters were saying in each song. The amazing thing I noted was, while the Italian words and music were quite beautiful and lengthy, the English translations were brief and kind of mundane. A character might sing an aria that may only translate to a single sentence in English. Still, the music and singing were exquisite and memorable as well as the accompaniment of Music Director, Denis Plutalov. His musical representation of each individual character was brilliant.
   Four young men occupy a lofty garret and all are artists: One is a painter, another a writer, one is a philosopher and the last is a musician. It’s winter time, very cold, and they are very poor with nothing to burn in their room’s fireplace. (I admit to a twinge of dismay as the writer’s manuscript is torn up to feed a hastily laid fire.) Before long the writer gets to meet a young woman who is a neighbor and needs to find fire for her candle. Of course, you already know that it’s bound to be love at first sight. 
   Her name is Mimi, played by Molly Wanless, and let me tell you, this girl has a set of pipes! Her soprano was spot on and sharp enough to cut glass. Her love interest, Rudolfo the writer played by Tianning Ma, introduces her to all of his friends and the group heads off to the local café. As time passes, Mimi becomes concerned about Rudolfo’s jealousy and the couple separate but both are miserable. Mimi is also sick with consumption which Rudolfo fears will only get worse as they still live in extreme poverty. But reliving past memories, hopes and dreams draws them back together until spring. Mimi eventually dies practically in Rudolfo’s arms and he sinks into despair. So, yeah….not a “feel good” kind of opera and widely known as a tear-jerker, but the music was moving, the set was interesting, the characters fully fleshed out and the acting was superb.
   Thank you to The Golden Husk for yet another fantastic production and for serving as the cultural hub for all of central Nebraska. Many thanks as well to the UNL Opera Tour group for helping to spread the knowledge and appreciation of opera to the wider reaches of our state.