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Theatre

Puccini in a pub? How bohemian

Deborah Harris describes the challenges of putting on La Bohème in a London bar

January 28, 2010 11:35
Clare Presland as the seductive Musetta, singing in the bar of the Cock Tavern

ByAnonymous, Anonymous

3 min read

‘I touched the head of a bald man by mistake,” exclaims bass singer Georgios Papaefstratiou.

“And during the fight scene we nearly fell into the audience,” adds baritone Matthew Duncan. The two singers were responding to my question about the pitfalls of putting on a grand opera in the cramped setting of Kilburn’s Cock Tavern.

So, La Bohème in a fringe venue — who could have imagined it? I certainly wanted to, which is why I got involved with the OperaUpClose’s production of Puccini’s gypsy love story.

Initially taking on the role of assistant stage manager, and now that of company manager, I have watched this young cast and crew create a captivating spectacle that has proved more popular, and earned better reviews, than the production of the same work which has just finished its run at the Royal Opera House.