The COC's current production, a revival from the pre-Richard Bradshaw era, makes no attempt to take La Bohème out of its original setting. And while one likes innovation, for this opera to ring true, it needs to stay in early-19th century Paris. This staging, therefore, has a plus already, at least for this reviewer.

The sets often capture the tone and mood of Paris quite charmingly, although there are also some drawbacks in Wolfram Skalicki's design. The huge, swirling circle sky over the artists' garret is too overpowering and presses on it. For someone visually oriented, this disconcerts the eye. The Café Momus set in Act II has a Viennese candy box touch that does not confer Paris. And the two-tiered aspect of this set, with a large public staircase on stage left, makes for overcrowding as well as prevents good staging of the scene between Musetta and her old and wealthy suitor, Alcidoro. Somehow, director Robert McQueen was unable to overcome the set's clutter. Consequently, the comedy as well as the pathos of the exchange in which Musetta sends Alcindoro away for a new pair of shoes, are lost. On the plus side, the set for Act III has everything it should have. You feel winter, you understand the period in which the opera is set, a time when the roads leading into Paris were still guarded and vendors had to pass a road check to get to the morning market. The costumes by the late Amrei Skalicki are appropriate, and serve to complement the periodic setting.

What is likeable about La Bohème is Puccini's gorgeous music, which when well sung, has emotional truth and conveys the story beautifully in its score. It is without a doubt one of the composer's masterpieces. How can one possibly grow tired of it even if it comes close to being a bit of a tearjerker? For those who do not know the story well, it concerns four poor artists: a painter, Marcello; a poet, Rudolfo; Colline, a philosopher; and the musician, Schaunard. Their struggling lives are made complicated by Marcello's love for the fickle Musetta, and Rudolfo's love for the humble, consumptive seamstress, Mimi.

This COC production chose relatively unknowns for its main characters in the current production, who manage exceedingly well to convey what Puccini had in mind for this opera. They are supported by the musical direction of conductor David T. Heusel in his North American debut. All of this unknown talent comes about because the COC's current production energies are highly concentrated on Wagner's Siegfried. This is the third of the Ring Cycle's opera's and the second, after last April's Walküre, being staged in anticipation of the complete Ring that will open the new opera house in 2006.

The two most important characters in La Bohème are Rudolfo and Mimi, next are Marcello and Musetta. Everyone else is in a supporting role. In this production, there are two Rudolfos. I happened to catch a performance with young Turkish tenor Bülent Bezdüz in his COC debut. He seemed just right for the part of the starving, love-smitten poet. His only moment of musical indiscretion came about in the final scene, when his outcry of "Mimi" at the realization that she has died, just doesn't conquer the required depths of emotion, nor the vastness of the Hummingbird Centre.

Mimi is sung with charming warmth, and appropriately consumptive delicateness by Greek soprano Elena Kelessidi in her COC debut. Musetta, coquettish, yet kind, is sung with lively zest by soprano Krisztina Szabó, a graduate of the COC Ensemble Studio. Italian baritone Gabriele Viviani, in his COC debut, is a perfect Marcello. Filling the remaining major supporting roles were baritone Peter McGillivray as Schaunard, bass Robert Gleadow as Colline, and COC veteran bass-baritone Cornelis Opthof in the dual role of Benoît (the landlord), and Alcindoro. It must be mentioned here that Gleadow stood out especially in Act IV, when he sang quite touchingly his farewell to his overcoat(Vecchia zimarra), which he was about to pawn to raise money for Mimi's medication.

Without a doubt, this is a fine production of La Bohème, though not an outstanding one. It is certainly worth seeing and hearing in its current run.