But I also found warmth in Puccini’s story and a racially diverse cast, including Kang Wang, an opera singer from China, who portrayed the caring, attentive Rodolfo, and Brandie Sutton, who is Black, as Musetta, whose high-pitched notes brought exuberance and brightness to the production. In the actual production, I found hallmarks of opera produced in the United States, including the libretto sung in Italian and translated on a screen below the performers. I was nervous to attend this production in October 2021 at Seattle Opera, as I imagined a stereotype of opera (and its audience) as opulent, dense, and intimidating - and, quite frankly, white. Written by Giacomo Puccini, this classic first debuted in 1896 in Turin, Italy. This is the opening to La Bohème, the four-part opera about poverty, romance, and tragedy in early 19th-century Paris. Art and fire interact when we first meet Marcello and Rodolfo, who lament over the incessant cold and burn some of Rodolfo’s writing to keep warm. Their apartment is sparse, with accouterments of art - music stand, easel, books - and of survival: a fire. Inside, we are in the attic apartment of four roommates: visual artist Marcello, poet Rodolfo, philosopher Colline, and musician Schaunard. With dark grille lines that form a grid within, the window slopes inward and lets in iridescent rays of orange, yellow, and blue from the outside. Stage left: A towering three-story glass window frames a humble apartment.
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