It has been called a classic tale of tragic romance and a great opera for beginners and regulars alike.
Puccini’s La bohème got a mixed reaction when first performed in Italy in 1896 – the UK premiere came the following year in Manchester – but it has stood the test of time and is an Opera North ‘banker’.
It must be. It accounts for three of the five November performances at the Theatre Royal and there will be few, if any, tickets left unsold at ‘curtain up’.
And as for dry eyes…
“It’s harrowing,” agrees soprano Elin Pritchard who will share the role of Musetta in Newcastle.
“I’m a person who gets immersed when I see opera and can cry like a baby. And this is a heartbreaking story, heightened by one of the most incredible operatic scores ever written.”
For those beginners, La bohème is set in Paris and concerns a group of young arty types living a bohemian lifestyle, which is to say they struggle to keep body and soul together. Poet Rodolfo sacrifices pages from his latest creation to keep the fire burning.
When his mates head for what passes in Paris for the pub, it’s Rodolfo who opens the door to neighbour Mimi, knocking to request a light because hers has gone out.
Kaboom! It’s love at first sight.
Rodolfo invites her to join his friends in the pub (OK, it’s a café) and they arrive in time to see aspiring painter Marcello spotting old flame Musetta on the arm of an older man, wealthy Alcindoro.
Musetta, who’s a singer, would be hard to miss… and perhaps harder to hang on to. It’s now she delivers one of the most famous arias in Puccini’s opera, often called Musetta’s Waltz.
Having thus beautifully announced her presence, she leaves Alcindoro to pick up the tab and runs off with Marcello and his impoverished mates.
That’s about as happy as it gets but the downward spiral, as unfortunate Mimi becomes increasingly unwell, is musically compelling.
Elin says she can sense a knowing audience’s anticipation when the big musical moments arrive (some ready with a cry of “Bravo!”) and the responsibility weighs on her shoulders.
“That’s when you have to put your work hat on really. I do want to feel all the emotions on stage but I’m there to deliver a performance and if I were to start crying… well, it wouldn’t look good.”
Elin knows this opera inside out, having sung Musetta before and also Mimi.
She feels she understands both women.
“This production is set in the 1950s and what I’d say about Musetta is she’s trying to survive in a world that isn’t that kind to women.
“If you haven’t got money you need to find a way to sustain yourself and Musetta has her beauty and her singing skills.”
If Musetta treats Alcindoro in an underhand fashion, Elin believes she redeems herself later when poor Mimi is nearing the end.
“She’s the one who shakes the boys up. I think she’s strong and fierce. I see her as a doer, doing and surviving in a world that’s not great for her.”
This is now quite a famous production of La bohème.
It was created for Opera North in 1993 by Phyllida Lloyd who went on to direct Mamma Mia! (both on stage and screen) and the film The Iron Lady for which Meryl Streep, playing Margaret Thatcher, won an Oscar.
It has been revived for previous tours and arrives at the Theatre Royal this time under revival director James Hurley, of whom Elin speaks highly.
“This is a beautiful production and I think when you’re doing a revival it would be easy to go, ‘Well, you stand there and you do this’… but James challenged us as artists and allowed us to develop our characters.
“He gave us some creative freedom and I think that’s crucial. Ultimately we’re there to be the best version of ourselves and sing the best we’ve ever sung.”
The production, Elin believes, has evolved with each cast change, although James Peaker, who again sings the role of Alcindoro, has been with it since the start.
“Amazing,” she says.
That would also describe Elin’s career so far. She is speaking to me from her home in Newton-le-Willows, near Warrington, but she has travelled widely to perform in opera houses and on the concert stage.
She studied at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and the National Opera Studio, in London, but she’s proud to call herself a Samling Artist, meaning she was chosen to join the masterclass programme run by the Samling Institute of Young Artists in Hexham, which supports up-and-coming classical singers.
That was in 2011 when she was fresh out of college. Her week would have ended with a public masterclass and concert at The Glasshouse (then Sage Gateshead).
She looks back fondly at the experience. “What an incredible course for singers. It’s groundbreaking what they do and the standard of people you get to work with is amazing.
“I love Karon (Karon Wright, founding executive and artistic director) because she keeps an eye on your career, popping up out of the blue sometimes.”
Another declaring herself a Samling Artist is friend and fellow soprano Katie Bird with whom Elin is sharing the role of Musetta.
All four main roles in Opera North’s La bohème are double cast.
Elin explains: “Because it’s so popular they do a lot of performances and you can’t do three back to back. It’s too much vocally. I’m a bit older but it’s not healthy for a young singer.
“I think there are a lot of role debuts in this production as well. Opera North champions young singers, giving an opportunity to as many as possible.”
But for Elin there is a downside. “I’m gutted I’ve only got one show in Newcastle (on Thursday, November 6) because the Theatre Royal is the most beautiful venue to sing in.
“And I love coming to Newcastle and just socialising. It’s a very friendly city.”
With an already busy 2026 schedule, Elin says she will be taking time out after La bohème to promote an extraordinary opera film she performed in and which was premiered at the Edinburgh International Film Festival in July.
It’s a Welsh language film - Elin is Welsh - called Un Nôs Olau Leuad (One Moonlit Night) and is based on the 1961 novel of the same name by Caradog Prichard.
“It’s a fusion of film and opera but very cinematic,” says Elin.
“It’s screening across Wales over the winter and will be on Channel 4 next year. It’s groundbreaking for opera and Wales and the Welsh language and something unique and special.”
As well as La bohème on November 5, 6 and 8, Opera North are performing Handel’s Susanna on November 7 and an hour-long, family-friendly show called The Big Opera Mystery on the afternoon of the 8th.
For tickets visit the Theatre Royal website or call the box office on 0191 2327010.