About the Show

Puccini's classic tale of young love, featuring brilliant casts and captivating performances.

Music Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin conducts Puccini’s classic tragedy for the first time at the Met, with sopranos Federica Lombardi, Anita Hartig, and Elena Stikhina alternating as the heartbreaking seamstress Mimì, and tenors Matthew Polenzani, Stephen Costello, and Joseph Calleja sharing the role of the love-struck poet Rodolfo. Sopranos Olga Kulchynska, Heidi Stober, and Kristina Mkhitaryan and baritones Adam Plachetka and Alexey Markov are the tempestuous lovers Musetta and Marcello, and maestros Carlo Rizzi and Marco Armiliato take the podium to oversee Franco Zeffirelli’s magnificent production.

Puccini's beloved opera about young artists in Paris premiered at Teatro Regio in Turin, Italy in 1896.

The story takes place in Paris, around 1830, a time after revolution and war. The story centers of youth at odds with mainstream society is one that has stood the test of time, and was the inspiration for the musical 'Rent.'

Critic Reviews (3)

For a previous production

"Critic's Pick!...Even in a good performance of this well-known staple, it’s hard for a conductor’s work to stand out against the singers’ voices, which usually claim our attention. But on Tuesday, when “Bohème” returned to the Metropolitan Opera — in Franco Zeffirelli’s enduringly popular production, and with an appealing cast in place — the star of the evening was the conductor, Eun Sun Kim, in her Met debut. Last month, Kim made history at the San Francisco Opera as the first woman music director of a major American opera company. And at the Met this week, she did the job with musicianly care, assured technical command, subtlety and imagination. It’s been a long time since I’ve heard Puccini’s score so freshly played."
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For a previous production

"All in all, it was clear who the central figure of this “Bohème” was: the man waving the baton."
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For a previous production

"'La Bohéme' is for everyone. Its appeal is universal. Set in beautiful Paris, it is visceral, romantic, sad, lovestruck, fun, and more – all rolled into one."
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Cast and creative team

The Metropolitan Opera House

Bookwriter / Lyricist