But even if OA’s production had lacked the lustre and panache it has, you’d be a hard-hearted person indeed not to succumb to the definitively operatic, quintessentially Italian, romantically sublime score, by Giacomo Puccini who, apparently, showed little or no talent for music as a boy, so all parents of would-be-if they could-be prodigies can take heart. What makes it all the easier to love is this spiffing, shiny new production (the first, if I’m not mistaken, since Baz Luhrmann’s 1990 take) from Opera Australia, fresh from it’s very recent debut in Melbourne. If you’ve seen, know and love Rent, you’ve kind-sorta seen La bohème and, though the music is, obviously, quite, quite different, you’ll probably love it too. Gyula Nagy and Peter Kellner complete the quartet of bohemians.Taryn Fiebig and the cast of La boheme | Opera Theatre Andrzej Filończyk is a reliable Marcello. The first night Musetta, Aida Garifullina, vocally bright and brilliant on house debut, shows she learns about life, moving from the good-time girl who stands on a restaurant table and removes her underwear in act two to a severely dressed adult in act four. She looks perfect in the role and phrases tenderly, but with the necessary weight when required. Simona Mihai, who sings Musetta later in the run, replaced the indisposed Sonya Yoncheva at short notice as Mimi. On the opening night, Charles Castronovo is an ardently persuasive Rodolfo, who manages to mature emotionally as the opera progresses his dark, almost baritonal tenor rises comfortably to all challenges.

This 12-performance revival is double- and, in some cases, triple-cast. Charles Castronovo as Rodolfo, Andrzej Filończyk as Marcello, Peter Kellner as Colline and Gyula Nagy as Schaunard in La Bohème.

La boheme opera melbourne reviews