La Bohème
Giacomo Pucinni
Libretto by Luigi Illica & Giuseppe Giacosa
2026
Palm Beach Opera
Creative Team:
Conductor: Vincenzo Milletarì
Set Design: Eric Fielding
Costume Design: Claude Girard
Lighting Design: Stuart Duke
Hair & Makeup Design: Anne Nesmith
Fight and Intimacy Director: Andrew Kenneth Moss
Cast:
Mimì:Anita Hartig / Yunuet Laguna
Rodolfo: Liparit Avetisyan / Oreste Cosimo
Marcello: Edward Parks
Musetta: Sydney Mancasola
Colline: Solomon Howard
Schaunard: Mario Manzo
Benoît/Alcindoro: Donald Maxwell
“In Kazaras’ world, Rudolfo simply can’t handle his guilt and instead projects his fear over Mimì’s concerning health onto her as jealousy, unable to process it himself. As Rudolfo and Mimì reunite, Marcello and Musetta once again break up. But, again, in Kazaras’ world, they seem to thrive on the conflict itself.”
Photo Credit: Bruce Bennet
2023
Washington National Opera
Creative Team:
Conductor: Alevtina Ioffe
Choreographer: Ben Wright
Set Designer: Lee Savage
Costume Designer: Jennifer Moeller
Lighting Designer: Bruno Poet
Cast:
Mimì: Gabriella Reyes
Rodolfo: Kang Wang
Marcello: Gihoon Kim
Schaunard: Blake Denson
Colline: Peixin Chen
Musetta: Jacqueline Echols
Benoit / Alcindoro: Peter Rose
Cafritz Young Artist Cast:
Mimì: Amber Monroe
Rodolfo: Kevin Punnackal
Marcello: Jonathan Patton
Schaunard: Justin Burgess
Colline: Christian Simmons
Musetta: Teresa Perrotta
Benoit / Alcindoro: Samuel J. Weiser
“...lavish and moving production...”
“The performances of this profoundly talented cast illuminate the rawness of love’s joy and pain in life and death: under Peter Kazaras’ direction and through Ben Wright’s choreography, [the cast] bring their world of rich yet meager livelihoods.”
“Kazaras skillfully embraces the melee while keeping an eye on the dramatic action. Just one of many clever moments is the way in which café staff and patrons spontaneously pair up to dance along with the drama and then melt away into the crowd as the mood changes.
It is Kazaras’ control of the finale with some carefully crafted movement and use of silence that sets the stage for Puccini’s devastating pathos.”
2016
Los Angeles Opera
Creative Team:
Rodolfo: Mario Chang
Mimì: Nino Machaidze / Olga Busuioc
Marcello: Giorgio Caoduro
Musetta: Janai Brugger / Amanda Woodbury
Schaunard: Kihun Yoon
Colline: Nicholas Brownlee
Benoît: Philip Cokorinos
Alcindoro: Philip Cokorinos
Conductor: Speranza Scappucci, Gustavo Dudamel
Set Designer: Gerard Howland
Costume Designer: Peter John Hall
Cast:
“Re-directed by Peter Kazaras (director of opera at UCLA), it maintains all the Parisian zest of Ross’ original staging, particularly during the festive pull-out-all-the-stops flag-waving Christmas Eve party at the Café Momus. ”
2015
The Dallas Opera
Creative Team:
Conductor: Riccardo Frizza
Set Designer: Jean-Pierre Ponnelle
Costume Designer: Peter John Hall
Cast:
Rodolfo: Bryan Hymel
Mimì: Ana María Martínez
Marcello: Jonathan Beyer
Musetta: Davinia Rodriguez
Schaunard: Stephen LaBrie
Colline: Alexander Vinogradov
Benoît: Stefan Szkafarowsky
Peter Kazaras made his debut with The Dallas Opera in 2015 with a staging of La bohème that balanced intimacy with large-scale theatrical clarity. Conducted by Riccardo Frizza and presented in a high-definition simulcast at AT&T Stadium, the production required a directorial approach attuned both to the nuances of Puccini’s character-driven drama and the demands of a vast public audience. Kazaras shaped a visually coherent and emotionally immediate interpretation that translated effectively across both the opera house and the expanded cinematic setting.
“The staging made effective use of the Ponnelle production’s visual strengths, with crowd scenes handled with energy and clarity.”
Photo Credit: Karen Almond
2014
Washington National Opera
Creative Team:
Conductor: Philippe Auguin
Choreographer: Ben Wright
Set Designer: Lee Savage
Costume Designer: Jennifer Moeller
Lighting Designer: Bruno Poet
Cast:
Mimì: Corinne Winters / Tatiana Monogarova
Rodolfo: Saimir Pirgu / Alexey Dolgov
Musetta: Alyson Cambridge / Leah Partridge
Marcello: John Chest / Trevor Scheunemann
Colline: Joshua Bloom / Musa Ngqungwana
Schaunard: Steven LaBrie / Christian Bowers
Benoît / Alcindoro: Donato DiStefano
Peter Kazaras made his debut with Washington National Opera in 2014 with a new production of La bohème, establishing a clear and emotionally grounded directorial vision for Puccini’s beloved work. Conducted by Philippe Auguin and presented in a large-scale simulcast at Nationals Park, the production balanced intimacy with theatrical clarity, ensuring that the opera’s emotional immediacy translated effectively to both the opera house and a broad public audience.
Photo Credit: Scott Suchman
