by Jeff Dunn
No tears for Mimi’s death at the end of Puccini’s La Bohème Sunday afternoon? Because everyone in the cast of Pocket Opera was having such a raucous good time on the small stage of the Hillside Club in Berkeley!
And, doing such a great job of it, I felt it was time to celebrate—rush up and congratulate Pocket’s enthusiastic artists in the family-like atmosphere they generated.
” … This is a joyous, ideal family and opera lover fare … “
In that spirit, I wish to begin by congratulating William Young for the shortest and most heart-warming “aria” in the opera, his asking for a toy drum from the charming Caleb Alexander’s Parpignol in Act 2. It was Young’s operatic debut at age 8, and his voice was loud, clear, and on pitch, as were his six accompanying street urchins.
As for the rest of the cast, there were many standouts. Soprano Diana Skavronskaya was a gorgeously riveting and dramatic presence on stage as Mimi, excelling in her arias in Acts 1 and 3, but especially in the ensemble scene in Act 2. I only felt that in Act 4, despite her fine acting, her powerful voice seemed, well, a bit out of line for a person dying of consumption.
As her lover Rudolfo, Tenor Nicolas Huff contributed an arresting passion to the proceedings, especially in Acts 2-4. Daniel Yoder brought his rich baritone to Rodolfo’s fellow bohemian Marcello, and was fun to watch cavorting across the stage in the exuberant mock battles of Acts 1 and 4.
Melissa Sondhi portrayed the temperamental Musetta with verve and swagger. Bass-baritone Don Hoffman and baritone Michael Kuo rounded out the bohemian quartet engagingly. Hoffman was especially effective in his “Farewell Dear Coat” aria in Act 4. Gene Wright as Alcindoro and Michael Mendelsohn were hilarious as comic victims in Acts 1 and 2.
For smaller theaters (like this one), Act 2 presents a bit of a problem of scale with street scenes, crowds, and a marching band. Stage Director Elly Lichenstein sent the urchins up and down the aisles to take full advantage of the venue and had the cast convey the imaginary sight of the band with joyful expression. Conductor Mary Chun’s reduction of the score for a 12-piece orchestra was just right for the intimate surroundings.
Pocket Opera will move to the Legion of Honor in San Francisco for its final performance of Boheme. This is a joyous, ideal family and opera lover fare. Don’t let it slip your schedule.
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ASR’s Classical Music Section Editor, Jeff Dunn, is a retired educator and project manager who’s been writing music and theater reviews for Bay Area and national journals since 1995. He is a member of the San Francisco Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle and the National Association of Composers, USA. His musical Castle Happy (co-author John Freed), about Marion Davies and W.R. Hearst, received a festival production at the Altarena Theater in 2017. His opera, Finding Medusa, with librettist Madeline Puccioni, was completed in January 2023. Jeff has won prizes for his photography, and is also a judge for the Northern California Council of Camera Clubs.
| Production | La Boheme |
|---|---|
| Composer | Giacomo Puccini |
| English Libretto | Donald Pippin |
| Director | Elly Lichenstein |
| Producing Company | Pocket Opera |
| Production Dates | Thru July 28th |
| Production Address | Legion of Honor, 100 34th St, San Francisco 94121 |
| Website | www.pocketopera.org |
| Telephone | (415) 972-8934 |
| Tickets | $15 - $79 |
| Reviewer Score | Max in each category is 5/5 |
| Overall | 4/5 |
| Performance | 4/5 |
| Music | 4.5/5 |
| Libretto | 4/5 |
| Stagecraft | 4/5 |
| Aisle Seat Review Pick? | YES! |