Virginia Opera: La Bohème at Center for the Arts

Virginia Opera, the official opera company of the Commonwealth of Virginia, returns to the Center for the Arts stage with a condensed version of Giacomo Puccinis La Bohme. This stunning production is the perfect way to reunite with opera and to welcome newcomers to the art form. The original four-act tragic romance has captivated since it premiered in 1896, and it has remained one of the most regularly performed operas in the world. Based on the episodic novel Scnes de la Vie de Bohme by French writer Henri Murger, the plot follows a band of passionate young Parisians seeking higher aspirations than material wealth through the pursuit of their art. In addition to being a brilliant musical accomplishment, La Bohme remains a sonorous work that continues to resonate with, and inspire, modern audiences around the globe, inspiring many other works including the Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning musical Rent. Sung in Italian with English surtitles, the production runs under two hours without an intermission.