Luscious romance of 'La bohème' opens Kentucky Opera's stellar performance season

One of the world's most famous and romantic operas will open the Kentucky Opera's 2022-23 season this fall. Five performances of Giacomo Puccini’s "La bohème" will launch the 70th anniversary season of Kentucky Opera in grand fashion at The Brown Theatre, 315 W Broadway beginning Friday, Sept. 23.

First performed on February 1, 1896, in Turin, Italy, Classical Music magazine describes "La bohème" as “about as perfect as an opera can be. It’s concise, it’s packed with delicious melody, and it’s about being young and in love.”

"La bohème," which was last performed in Louisville in 2013, has moved audiences for over a century with its luscious melodies and powerful storytelling of family and friendship among a group of struggling artists in Bohemian Paris.

“This opera has my heart,” Kelly Kitchens, stage director "La bohème." “It was one of the first operas I ever saw as a young person, and I was transfixed. I still am. It is such a truly human story where we get a magnificent slice of these young people’s lives in which they wrestle with money, with love, with illness, with grief, and with joy."

Kentucky Opera’s production will be performed over 120 minutes in four acts and will be sung in Italian with English captions. The opera will also feature members of Kentucky Opera’s Youth Opera Project and the River City Drum Corps.

You'll have five opportunities to catch the Kentucky Opera's production of "La bohème" including, Friday, Sept. 23 at 8 p.m., Sunday, Sept. 25 at 2 p.m., Tuesday, Sept. 27 at 1:30 p.m., Thursday, Sept. 29 at 8 p.m., and Sunday, Oct. 2 at 2 p.m.

Single tickets for "La bohème" start at $45.25, with discounts for students and groups, and are available now for purchase by visiting kyopera.org or by calling (502) 584-4500. Discount season subscriptions are also available to purchase starting at $110 and include "La bohème" as well as the 2022/23 season's main stage performances of the tango opera "María de Buenos Aires" and Rossini’s "Cinderella."  A holiday production of "The Gift of the Magi" will be performed at the Opera Center, Kentucky Opera’s new home on Magazine Street.

All tickets are available now at kyopera.org. Student tickets are also available.

2022-23 Kentucky Opera Season

'La bohème'

WHAT: The story is set in Paris around 1830 and shows the Bohemian lifestyle of a poor seamstress and her artist friends. Last performed by Kentucky Opera in September 2013.

CREDITS: Composer: Giacomo Puccini, Libretto by: Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa

WHEN: Sept. 23, 25, 27, 29 and Oct. 2

WHERE: Brown Theatre, 315 W. Broadway

'María de Buenos Aires'

WHAT: 'María de Buenos Aires" tells the story of Maria, a “cursed” woman, who was seduced by the streets. In her quest for freedom, Maria turns her back on her former, innocent life and her world devolves into darkness as the gritty streets of Buenos Aires claim her as their own. However, Maria’s spirit survives, returning to haunt the city of her birth in death.Premiered: 1968, Buenos Aires, Argentina – Sala Paneta. This production will be a Kentucky Opera Premiere.

CREDITS: Composer: Ástor Piazzolla, Libretto by: Horacia Ferrer

WHEN: Nov. 11, 13

WHERE:  Brown Theatre, 315 W. Broadway

'The Gift of the Magi'

WHAT: A chamber opera in one act. Based on the 1905 short story of the same title by O. Henry, the opera focuses on Jim and Della, a poor married couple who cannot afford to buy each other presents for Christmas. A Kentucky Opera premiere.

CREDITS: Music by David Conte, Libretto by Nicholas Giardini. Based on the 1905 short story by O. Henry

WHEN: Dec. 15-16, 18, 20, 22

WHERE: Kentucky Opera Center, 708 Magazine St.

'Cinderella' ('La Cenerentola')

WHAT: In this variation of the fairy tale, the wicked stepmother is replaced by a stepfather, Don Magnifico. The Fairy Godmother is replaced by Alidoro, a philosopher and tutor to the Prince. Cinderella is identified not by a glass slipper but by her bracelet. Premiered: 1817, Rome, Italy – Teatro Valle. Last performed by Kentucky Opera in 2005.

CREDITS: Composer: Gioachino Rossini, Libretto by: Jacopo Ferretti

WHEN: Feb. 24, 26, 2023

WHERE:  Brown Theatre, 315 W. Broadway

How to get tickets to the 2022-23 Kentucky Opera season

Subscriptions for Kentucky Opera’s 2022-23 season are available now at kyopera.org or by calling 502-584-4500. Single tickets for individual performances will go on sale later in the year.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: 'La bohème' opens Kentucky Opera's 70th season in 2022