A Night With The Bohemians

I didn’t expect to head to the opera and witness acts of public humping on top of a tavern table, surrounded by throngs of onlookers. But of course, when it’s a work that describes the life and travails of a bunch of Bohemians in Paris, what else would you expect?

I had exploited my access to cheap student tickets at the English National Opera once again, and checked out a performance earlier this evening of Puccini’s La Boheme at the London Coliseum. It was delightfully entertaining and funny, although some may find me callous for not being sufficiently moved by the final scene, where the waif-like heroine Mimi dies on stage, with her lover Rudolfo by her side. She died of consumption, apparently. It seems that they always die of consumption. It’s either that, or they die of grief and a broken heart.

Anyway, La Boheme is probably one of the most accessible and popular works in the Western operatic canon, and certainly among Puccuni’s better-known compositions. It was composed in 1896, before Tosca and Madama Butterfly, two other much loved Puccini operas. The man derived his inspiration from a novel written earlier in the 19th century, but the ENO production placed it sometime in the first half of the 20th century, judging from the clothing worn.

The plot didn’t seem fully developed, but perhaps that wasn’t the point. Enough to know that we have two pairs of lovers, along with their good friends, living the life of poor Bohemians – poets and artists, musicians and philosophers. No systems anlaysts, marketing executives or operation supervisors here. The entire opera came replete with very familiar tunes that have crept into popular consciousness. But I was most impressed with Act II, set in the streets and the tavern, with a huge chorus cast around, and all six principle characters in full force, as they live the life of gay Bohemians. Yes, the meaning of that word has since changed, but in this context, it sounds right. And the highlight for me, visually as well as musically, was how Musetta sought to seduce Marcello, stoking his jealously, belting out a risqué song. It was marvellously hilarious.

We had dinner earlier at Belgo Centraal, and what a wonderfully jolly affair it was. This is a Covent Garden classic, open since 1992, but it was the first time I had been there. The setting was rather quaint. The entire dining area was located in the basement, and tables were laid out family-styled and bench-like, with the open concept kitchen nearby. Around us were waiters dressed up as monks. Were they Trappists, by any chance?

Belgo serves up delectable Belgian cuisine, plus an amazing variety of Belgian beer, evoking for me memories of Brussels from not that many months ago. Check out their mouth-watering menu here. What was exciting was their Beat The Clock special offer – “Monday to Friday 5pm to 6.30pm. Pay the price at the time shown on your food order. Served with a choice of Maes lager, a glass of house wine or a soft drink.”

Well, I didn’t manage to get there on the dot of five, but made it in time nonetheless to wolf down a serving of the Saucisses de Porc – comprising port and leek sausages with stoemp, or Belgian mash. A vanilla waffle came later, rounding up a tummy-rubbing meal.