Two Mimi-Rodolfos at Opera North who go from nought to frisky very believably

Purists might have winced at Opera North’s advertisement for its latest revival of La Bohème. ‘If you see one musical this year,’ it said, ‘see this opera.’ Such rhetoric might invite unhelpful discussion of the relative merits of each genre, but it also reflects the fact that this show is a refreshing, unfusty treat. Phyllida Lloyd’s updated production wears its 21 years lightly and, especially as revived by Michael Barker-Caven, is light on its feet, and unencumbered by the laborious attention to period details that we often see with Puccini’s warhorse (John Copley’s venerable production at the Royal Opera House, which starred the young Plácido Domingo when it was new in 1974 and which is finally going to be retired next year, is simultaneously the best and the worst example of this.)

To match the staging, Opera North had assembled two young casts, both of which I was able to catch, in matinée and evening performances on the same day. Here were two quartets of male Bohemians — each with its distinct routines and internal dynamics — who for once actually looked as though they might be living on the breadline in their garret (here a messy 1960s flat), and who actually looked and acted like friends. The two Mimì-Rodolfo pairings were so endearingly guileless and gullible that you easily believed that they could go from nought to frisky (plus head-over-heels in love) in a matter of seconds, even if their relatively small voices struggled to fill out the piece’s bigger moments.

Both of the Rodolfos were appealingly puppyish and engaging, even if they had to push hard (and often sharp) in the climaxes — Sébastien Guèze, in the first cast, was more guilty of this than Ji-Min Park. Gabriela Istoc’s Mimì had a bit more edge and volume than Anita Watson’s, but both phrased their music with gentle, beguiling musicality.