News

The challenge of mounting a Covid-era La bohème boiled down to two sizable issues: how to keep the principal singers safe and socially distanced in a complex and highly choreographic staging; and how, in Act II, to stage a renowned scene originally conceived as a crowd of 60 choristers. 

As rehearsals began, we agreed each cast and team would form a ‘fixed team’ with contact between the two cohorts kept to an absolute minimum. This allowed us to stage Acts I, III and IV ​​​​​​​nearly identically to Richard Jones's original vision. 

Our thornier problem was how to stage the Chorus in Act II. Chorus Master William Spaulding divided the chorus parts into general chorus (to be sung by off-stage as well as on-stage) and chorus 'solos', to be sung only on-stage. Our fantastic conductor Renato Balsadonna faced the challenge of keeping an off-stage chorus coordinated with the pit in supremely complex music. 

The original 20 children on stage have been reduced to ten, and cast by our Head of Music Richard Hetherington, from the same school in order to form their own bubble and remain in their own special socially-distanced cohort – though they must remain two metres from everyone else on stage at all times.

The number of waiters staffing the café needed to be cut from ten to four (two per cast), as the total number of people who could be in the café was now also drastically reduced. Our M​​​ovement Director Danielle Urbas had to solve the Rubik’s Cube of redevising the café traffic in such a way that there are never more than six people (on top of the principals) in the café at any given time.

In order to ensure crew and technical safety, the P​​​roduction Manager Cliona ni Mhocháin, and the Stage Manager Jo Holmes, brilliantly re-conceived the crew figurations to move the sets during the jaw-dropping Act II set-sequence.

The last part of the act – when in the original production a parade marches onto the stage and the chorus and soloists cheer them from the sides – was completely re-conceived with the band music now played from the pit. In this final scene, the need to retain social distancing has meant that the Chorus cannot move from their pre-set positions. The Covid-safety of both the crew and the Chorus necessitates the cutting of the final 'street' set, which means that the act begins and finishes on an empty stage. A remarkably different ending for many who love the show. 

As on the stage, in the pit our wonderful Orchestra must observe social distancing too. The Orchestra of the Royal Opera House will now be playing a reduced orchestration – meaning just 47 players instead of the usual 74. In addition to the rewriting in the wind and brass parts, they will be playing with a smaller string section than usual.

With a few modifications (and just for this run of performances) La bohème is a bit different, but highlights the incredible team effort and innovation it takes to mount a large-scale opera in the Covid-era.