La Boheme--Opera Australia stage performance on DVD

My recent discovery of baritone Roger Lemke (pictured right) in Opera Australia's Gondoliers has lead me to actually buy the DVD of Baz Luhrmann's production of La Boheme that Opera Australia presented in 1993 that featured Mr. Lemke as Marcello. As this production--with it's iconic L'AMOUR lighted sign on the garret roof--was the basis of the late 1990's production that played on Broadway for 250 performances (with different casts than OA used), I feel justified including it in my Year and not as a Classical Monday entry. I'm all about the justifications.

This production is beautiful to look at. The run-down garret apartment, the dingy Montmartre plaza, the restaurant, even the scaffolding used for the border scene in act three is somehow lovely and atmospheric. Nothing much is really colorful, but somehow it seems vibrant and alive. The same could be said for the cast--this cast is a looker. Opera purists may argue with some of the voices and I'm not deaf to those complaints, but on the whole this seems good middle ground between musical and opera. Of course, it's in Italian, so it's not all that middle.

Oh, I just realized that this picture of Roger Lemke looks freakishly like a picture of my father when Dad was in his twenties. Sorry, Roger, I won't be able to look at you the same way again. I'll have to move on to your brother, who sings Schaunard in this production.

La Boheme
Music by Giacomo Puccini
1993 Opera Australia production directed by Baz Lurhmann
Broadcast on the Australia Broadcasting Company, released on DVD.
Cast: Cheryl Barker, David Hobson, Roger Lemke, David Lemke, Christine Douglas

The Gondoliers--opera stage performance filmed for television

My search for a good Gilbert and Sullivan production continues, but this presentation by the Australian Opera in the Sydney Opera house filmed for television by ABC (Australian Broadcasting Company) has come closer than many of my forays into G & S. The primary aspect to enjoy in this production is the singing voices, which are all first-rate. Unfortunately, the recorded sound quality is very poor and makes it hard to understand much of the lyrics or truly appreciate the singing. The other production values are high-quality, particularly the costumes.

You know there is a but coming, and here it is. I don't like interpolation of modern lyrics into G&S. I realize that the original text poked fun at political and social items of the day, and there is a school of thought that to get across the nature of the song, you need to update those references to today. Well, my blue rinse is showing, but I like my operetta without references to Mick Jagger or the British Royal family.

I also don't approve of casting a man as the Duchess of Plaza-Toro. There are always fewer roles for women in theater and opera, why deny yet another role for a woman?

There is a ton of dancing in this production, and most of it done by the primary cast. I was surprised how well and how energetically it was performed, particularly by singers. The prime example is baritone Roger Lemke as Giuseppe. I liked his voice very much and he does some very athletic moves. Ooh, I just looked him up on imdb.com and Lemke was in Baz Luhrman's La Boheme. I'm off with a new obsession.

The Gondoliers
Music by Sullivan
Lyrics by Gilbert
Produced by the Australian Opera in 1990
Cast: Roger Lemke, Robert Gard, Graeme Ewer, David Hobson, Christine Douglas, Dennis Olsen, Fiona M, Susan Johnston, Fiona Maconaghie, Martin Croft