Chicago Tribune
- Highly Recommended
"...Puccini fans will leave well satisfied. ?I am always fine until that one chord,? I heard one departing woman say behind me as she protected herself against the sudden chill with the warmth of what sounded like an emotional capitulation with a familiar cue."
Chicago Sun Times
- Highly Recommended
"...When it is vividly brought to life as it is here, "La Boheme" is one of opera's greatest experiences - a perfect entry point for anyone wanting to try the art form for the first time and an always rewarding work to which to return again and again."
Chicago Reader
- Highly Recommended
"...Soprano Gabriella Reyes is a force to be reckoned with as the freewheeling singer Musetta; baritone and Lyric regular Will Liverman is her long-suffering artist boyfriend, Marcello; bass Peixin Chen and baritone Ian Rucker are the philosopher and musician buddies who complete Rodolfo?s little group. The Lyric Opera Chorus and Uniting Voices Chicago (formerly known as Chicago Children?s Choir) light up a mobbed second-act Latin Quarter nightlife scene. Chicago native Melanie Bacaling makes her Lyric directorial debut; the Lyric Opera Orchestra is led by guest conductor Jordan de Souza."
Chicago Stage and Screen
- Highly Recommended
"...The Chicago Lyric Opera?s production of La Boheme is spectacular. The performances
are flawless, the sets are breathtaking (the audience actually gasped when the curtain went up
on Act III), and experiencing it in such a beautiful performance space feels like a pilgrimage to
hallowed ground."
Around The Town Chicago
- Highly Recommended
"...In a new-to-Chicago production now playing at the Lyric Opera, director Melanie Bacaling presents a vision of La boh?me that is rooted in the time of the opera?s debut (although not that of its source material), the Belle ?poche, an era of massive inequalities, contradictory social attitudes, and ambivalence about how peoples? lifestyles and biological rhythms had been upended by the rapid adaptation of new technology. In doing so she finds a fresh way into the heart of an opera about lonely characters? craving for connection."
Chicago Theatre Review
- Highly Recommended
"...The score, whether you speak Italian or not, is composed to carry you along on the emotions of the characters. There isn?t a single moment that goes on too long, or a note that feels unnecessary. The movement of the plot is also easy to follow. The characters are all archetypes: The Poet, the Delicate Damsel, The Escort with a Heart of Gold, the Passionate Artist, the Care-Free Friends. The talented cast tells us everything we need to know with their bodies and their singing. If you are new to Opera, or want to introduce someone to it, this would be the perfect production."
Buzz Center Stage
- Highly Recommended
"...Going into ?La Boh?me? with little knowledge of Puccini?s masterpiece, I was just a naive theater-goer seeing it fresh at its opening Saturday night at Chicago?s Lyric. It is beautifully directed by Melanie Bacaling - striking massive two-story sets and colorful, ever varying crowd scenes. Especially intriguing to me are scenes where we see anonymous action through the muslin curtained windows of shops and apartments, imparting vividly a sense of life in every nook and cranny of the stage."
Chicagoland Musical Theatre
- Recommended
"...It?s true: ?La Boh?me? makes for an ideal entry point into the realm of opera. Its scruffy cast of characters, living commission to commission, are perhaps more relatable to the newcomer than the larger-than-life gods and kings who tend to fill those stages. Perhaps even one can still sense the flush of discovery that Puccini?s verismo offered: the novelty of hearing music in street vendors? spiels or some stumbling drunken chorus on the corner."
Third Coast Review
- Recommended
"...This may be the fourth time I have seen La Boheme at the Lyric. It is my all-time favorite and gets me misty every time. The 2025 version is advertised as new to Chicago and lives up to the promise of a fresh approach to what life may have been like in the Belle Epoque. The original was set around 1830, but composer Giacomo Puccini wrote it between 1893 and 1895. Director Melanie Bacaling creates a vibrant depiction of Paris in 1888. The Eiffel Tower is mid-construction, and the audience is immersed in the world of artists and what would be called hipsters today."
Chicago Theater and Arts
- Highly Recommended
"...If you?ve seen La Boh?me before, you will no doubt enjoy this performance. If you are unfamiliar with this particular opera or opera in general, this is a perfect opportunity to experience something new and maybe bring a young person with you."
Splash Magazine
- Highly Recommended
"...The visual glories of dance, costumes, wigs hats, and staging were well coupled with an extraordinary collective of musical and vocal riches. The orchestra was well in tune and capably led, the chorus full, the children?s chorus voices sweet. Both chorus groups were majestic in their tableaux-as during the 2d Act frozen snow scene."
BroadwayWorld
- Highly Recommended
"...This moving production from the Lyric will make you hold the hand of your loved one a little tighter. You will laugh. You will cry. You will appreciate the talent in front of the curtain and behind the curtain and in the orchestra pit. Melanie Becaling has put the puzzle together perfectly. By the way, the musical Rent is based on this opera. Do not be afraid of opera. It is some of the most beautiful music ever written along with a story that will captivate you. This should not be missed. Bravo, Lyric."
NewCity Chicago
- Highly Recommended
"...Canadian conductor Jordan de Souza has the Lyric Opera Orchestra sounding sumptuous throughout."
