Loved by so many for its intimate format and financial accessibility, Pocket Opera ends its 2008 season on a high and crystal-clear note with Puccini’s La Boheme at the Legion of Honor Florence Gould Theater. As always, Donald Pippin—artistic director, librettist, pianist and narrator—a living treasure of San Francisco, translated the original libretto into English. In Pippin’s own words, “Whatever the opera, our purpose remains the same: simple, straight-forward productions with the highest musical standards, in vivid English that clarifies and brings home the basic strength of their powerfully moving (or vastly entertaining) stories.” Following Pippin’s vision to create a breeding ground for young talent in a professional opera setting, Debra Lambert—chair of the department of music and vocal arts at Notre Dame de Namur University—joined him as a stage director in the production of La Boheme, with a mixed cast of seasoned performers and graduate students. Most Pocket Opera devotees, who meet and greet each other at every opening, agreed that fresh take on the classic, with singers dressed in jeans, and an appearance of a cell phone in a café scene, was an unexpected success. The second act brought tears to many eyes, with Bharati Soman as Mimi delivering her dying character’s last words in a pure heart-breaking voice, accompanied by her equally talented peers J. Raymond Meyers as Rodolfo, Rod Gomez as Marcello, Erina Newkirk as Musetta, and others. With musical director John Kendall Bailey, and the famous Pocket Philharmonic live on stage, the show attests to the eternal youth of this 30-year-old company and its artistic director. La Boheme runs on July 19, 20 and 27 at the Legion of Honor in SF, and on July 26 at the Notre Dame de Namur University Theater in Belmont. For more information, visit http://www.pocketopera.org/. To order tickets, call 415-972-8934.
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