Opera a la Carte?s Bermuda Festival production of Puccini?s best-loved opera, ?La Boh?me? updated the original setting from Paris 1860 to the same city in 1967-8. It is certainly not the first opera company to update a classic, nor will it be the last. But did it work? The answer probably depends on whether or not one is a traditionalist or open to change, but as someone with a foot in both camps, I think it did.

Certainly director Nicholas Heath fulfilled his promise to remain faithful to the libretto, and we already know that City Hall will never be Covent Garden, so whatever opera is staged there can never be grand, but it can be enjoyable, which this production certainly was. What would have made it even better, of course, was an orchestra ? an option which the company was unable to exercise this time around. While pianists Susanna Stranders and Aidan Oliver performed heroically, an adapted score (theirs) cannot replace the qualities of an orchestral one.

Nonetheless, this was a production with imaginative, fun touches. With the front curtain permanently raised, I particularly liked the concept of principal characters Marcello and Rodolfo already in situ, painting and reading in their Bohemian garret, while the audience was being seated.

Using an aisle and the main doors as access to the world beyond their garret was also effective, as was the modus operandi of scene changing.

Tweaking the prescribed cast list to substitute a busy waiter for the traditional Customs officer worked well since it clearly gave Andrew Mayor a viable role to execute with aplomb; similarly, changing vendor Parpignol?s wares from toys to weed also fitted the later ?60s context.

Having Mimi expire from drug abuse rather than consumption was also topical, yet the make-up showed no evidence of her addiction until the final scene when she appeared as a gaunt-faced hippie.

The ?60s female outfits, hairstyles, dark glasses et al were spot-on, as were, with a few exceptions, the props, including the colourful, tie-dyed cloth. William Eyre?s painted backdrops worked well, while the scene with the Eiffel Tower in the background was particularly evocative.

And now to the opera itself.

La Boh?me is a romantic work in which the four main characters, Marcello, Rodolfo, Mimi and Musetta, share a garret and fall in and out of love with each other while immersed in a Bohemian lifestyle with like-minded friends. Naturally, theirs is a penurious existence which includes tatty accommodation, few possessions or creature comforts, and little sustenance. Dreamers all, they dabble in art, playwriting, poetry, philosophy, and music, but without commitment to anything beyond the shallowness of ?today?. Crises are generally met with superficiality and pro tem solutions.

When, for example, the frustrated landlord comes to collect the overdue rent, the response is not repentance but sending him packing, unpaid and incoherent with alcohol. With no money to afford heating, scripts and books are burned for fuel, and when a few coins do come their way, these are quickly spent on fleeting pleasure. But then, what else is Bohemianism but an unconventional lifestyle?

With Mimi?s tortured death, the opera ends in stunned grief for those left to mourn her loss ? and we to ponder whether or not this metaphorical jerking of their feckless chains will lead to any reformation of their values.

In casting the voices for ?La Boh?me?, Mr. Heath revealed a sure hand, the result of which was a strong and entirely convincing performance from all. Of the four lead singers (Colin Campbell as Marcello, Kevin Ferguson as Rodolfo, Gordana Kostic as Mimi, and Katie Van Kooten as Musetta), it was the latter who really stood out for me with her full-on portrayal of the aggressive, disputatious Musetta.

Clearly, Ms Van Kooten understood the character of this screeching, impetuous and over-indulged piece of arm candy, who becomes the perfect foil for Alcindoro, her long-suffering old sugar daddy. A stylishly groomed man of importance with more money than sense, this rotund human doormat trails obediently in Musetta?s wake, spineless, and with an ability to absorb unlimited verbal and financial abuse ? all qualities which the rich-voiced Gerard Delrez conveyed very well.

Originally scheduled for the mould-infested Ruth Seaton James auditorium, the relocation of ?La Boh?me? to the confines of City Hall could have adversely affected the enjoyment of this opera. Instead, I believe the opposite occurred. Since this was a conservative staging (no extras, crowd scenes, lavish sets or orchestra), distance had no opportunity to lend enchantment.

Instead, the smaller theatre brought about greater sense of intimacy between the audience and the singers, the action, and the story ? thus fulfilling Opera a la Carte?s desire to bringing opera closer to the people.