Only One Week Remains for You to Experience LA BOHÈME at Theatre Latté Da
Saturday, February 19, 2022 at 8:48PMArticle by Becky Fillinger
Andrew LeshovskyTheater Latté Da originally scheduled LA BOHÈME for early 2020, but we all unfortunately know what happened with the COVID shutdowns. The Ritz Theater shuttered its doors after just three preview performances. Time has passed and the 2021-2022 season is well underway - the theater’s LA BOHÈME production features most of the cast from the 2020 production. We talked to Andrew Leshovsky, Director of Marketing & Engagement, about what we can expect to see, hear and experience at the production.
Q: Please tell us about the current production of LA BOHÈME.
A: We’re so eager for your readers to attend this production of LA BOHÈME, the beloved Puccini opera re-imagined by Peter Rothstein with new orchestration by Joseph Schlefke. The production brings together rising stars in the opera world along with favorite performers from the Twin Cities music scene. It’s among the top five operas performed around the globe, but you don’t have to travel far to see it.
LA BOHÈME premiered at the Teatro Regio in Turin, Italy, on February 1, 1896. A group of friends are living a bohemian life in Paris and trying to make their livings creating art. Despite a tragic ending, the story celebrates love in the face of adversity.
Initially set in Paris during the 1830s, Rothstein’s production moves the action roughly 100 years later during the Nazi occupation of Paris. He tells us: “When I began to think about re-imagining LA BOHÈME, I quickly decided that moving the story out of Paris would be sacrilege, but there is very little in the libretto that is specific to time. Moving the action roughly a century later provided a specificity for me and my collaborators, making the story about a group of struggling artists all the more tangible, emotional and poignant.”
The opera was first presented to Twin Cities audiences in 2005 with a celebrated run at the Loring Playhouse, where the production featured a new orchestration by Joseph Schlefke, capturing the sound of a Paris café or street band. The instrumentation included accordion, guitar, piano, violin, clarinet and flute. Latté Da won an Ivey Award and audiences and critics praised the production as “moving” and “exquisite.” The production was remounted in 2007 with a sold-out run at the Southern Theater.
Left to right, Justin Anthony Spenner, Rodolfo Nieto, Bradley Greenwald, Siena Forest, Benjamin Dutcher, Tony Potts - photo by Dan Norman
We have an outstanding cast – it features Siena Forest and Corissa Bussian making their Latté Da debut in the role of Mimi, Benjamin Dutcher (Latté Da: All is Calm: The Christmas Truce of 1914 (2015-Present), Assassins, Ragtime, Sweeney Todd, Master Class) and David Walton (making his Latté Da debut) as Rodolfo, Bergen Baker and Katherine Henly make their Latté Da debut in the role of Musetta, Tony Potts makes his Latté Da debut in the role of Marcello, Andrew Nalley makes his Latté Da debut in the role of Alcindoro, Justin Spenner makes his Latté Da debut as Schaunard, Rodolfo Nieto (Latté Da: All is Calm, A Little Night Music, Assassins, Man of La Mancha) is Colline, Bradley Greenwald (Latté Da: Candide, A Little Night Music, C.) is Benoît. The ensemble also includes Amy Wolf, Anna Hashizume, Noah Scharback and Morrow Piper, all making their Latté Da debuts.
Siena Forest and Benjamin Dutcher, photo by Dan Norman
Q: How many shows are left and more importantly - are there any tickets left?
A: LA BOHÈME will close February 27, 2022. There are tickets available! Single tickets start at $35. Group, student, and other discounts are available. Please call the box office at 612-339-3003 or online at Lattéda.org. Post-show discussions and access services (ASL/AD performances) are available on select dates and by request. Patrons of the Ritz Theater are required to show proof of vaccine or proof of negative COVID-19 test within 72 hours and photo ID upon entering the theater. Masks are currently required of all guests inside the theater at all times.
Q: I know your 2021/2022 season is in full swing. What the best way to follow Theater Latté Da news?
