Where Opera and Musical Theatre Collide: La bohème and Rent
Our next opera, La bohème, is not only one of the most well-known operas of all time, it also inspired the plot of Jonathan Larson’s 1996 Broadway musical Rent. In this blog, we’re taking you through some of our favorite connections between these two renowned works.
Iconic Leads in Both Stories
Both La bohème and Rent have seen some iconic singers take on their lead roles. For La bohème, Italian soprano Mirella Freni is heavily associated with the role of Mimì, which she sang at La Scala in Milan and as her house debut at the Metropolitan Opera. Luciano Pavarotti began his career by singing the role of Rodolfo, and later sang the role alongside Mirella Freni at La Scala. He went on to win an Emmy for his performance as Rodolfo in a televised production of the opera. One of the most well-known opera singers today to be associated with Puccini’s timeless classic is German tenor Jonas Kaufmann, who has performed the role of Rodolfo numerous times since the early 2000s.
The opening and closing casts of Rent have produced some household names, most notably Idina Menzel, who made her Broadway debut as Maureen in the rock musical in 1996. She went on to originate the role of Elphaba in Wicked and later transitioned to film and TV roles, like Elsa in Disney’s Frozen. Another member of the original cast, Anthony Rapp, performed the role of Mark and then went on to other Broadway shows, later taking on the role of Commander Paul Stamets on the TV series Star Trek: Discovery. Renée Elise Goldsberry performed the role of Mimi in Rent’s 2008 closing cast, later going on to win a Tony and Grammy for her performance as Angelica Schuyler in the original cast of Hamilton.
A Timeless Meet-Cute
Let’s talk plot. In La bohème, Rodolfo and Mimì meet when she knocks on his door to ask him to light her candle. The pair are immediately infatuated with one another, and when Mimì realizes she dropped her key, Rodolfo finds it and hides it from her so they can spend more time together. In Rent, this meet-cute is replicated almost exactly during the song “Light My Candle,” except instead of her key, Mimi is a drug addict and drops her stash. The song ends with the line “They call me Mimi,” another direct reference to La bohème and Mimì’s song “Sì, mi chiamano Mimì”—”Yes, they call me Mimì.”
Waltzing from 1830s Paris to 1990s New York
While the musical genres of Rent and La bohème are very different, there are some direct connections between the lyrics in each. “Musetta’s Waltz” from La bohème and “Tango Maureen” from Rent are probably the two most obviously connected song titles—although if you try to tango to a waltz, you’ll be facing a pretty big challenge! While it’s safe to say that Jonathan Larson was directly inspired by the most famous aria from La bohème, we think there’s a better connection between the words in “Musetta’s Waltz” and Rent’s act two duet “Take Me or Leave Me.”
Musetta’s Waltz translation
When I walk all alone in the street,
people stop and stare at me
and everyone looks at my beauty
from head to toe.
Take Me or Leave Me lyrics
Every single day I walk down the street
I hear people say, “Baby, so sweet”
Ever since puberty everybody stares at me
Boys, girls, I can’t help it, baby
Want a closer look at how the characters in La bohème match up with the characters in Rent? Check out this blog from Lyric Opera of Chicago.>>
See it For Yourself
Whether you’re an opera lover or a musical theater fan, you’ll love the beautiful music and timeless story of La bohème. Tickets start at just $47—discover Rent‘s original inspiration at the Ellie Caulkins Opera House.
La bohème is on stage for five performances only from February 22 through March 2. Get your tickets today.>>