Live From 'La Boheme' at Intermission

As I mentioned in the last post, I'm blogging live at Austin Lyric Opera's 2009-2010 season opener, La Boheme. We are currently in the first intermission of the four-act opera.

The talent on the stage is incredible, in addition to that of the orchestra below. The set design is also top-notch; the second act takes place in the Latin Quarter of Paris. The set was colorful and full of suspended old Parisian paintings in the style of Toulouse-Lautrec. A real marching band came out and the second act ended with a stage full of colorfully-dressed characters, dancing children, and sky-high musical notes from the excellent cast. Right now, all of the audience is mingling over a free glass of champagne provided by Austin Lyric Opera in celebration of the season opening. Once intermission is over, there are two more acts to go. The tone and lyrics have been very humorous and playful so far, but as we all know, it will get darker toward the end. I'm looking forward to the rest.

Have you ever seen La Boheme performed? For those of you who don't know, the Broadway musical (and the movie) "Rent" were based off this opera.