The Bohemian Life
The Bohemians
(Das Leben der Bohéme)
variable casting
Alexandre, a musician, the philosopher Colline and the poet Rodolphe find out at first hand that idealism goes hand in hand with belonging to the precariat, a group that enjoys little or no job security. The four friends detest conventions as much as they do the nightmare of a secure and stable life. But they have to pay the rent somehow, and slowly the attraction of staying on society’s fringes melts away, especially when love relationships become complex … «Inspired by Henri Murger’s novel Scènes de la vie de bohème, which was also the basis for Puccini’s opera La Bohème, Stefan Otteni’s stage version “bristles with irony in following the trail of the artist through society». (Die deutsche Bühne)
«What remains today of the Bohemian ethos, save perhaps the thin, starkly unromantic term «Subculture»? Otteni more or less reproduces the well-known love story of the mortally ill Mimi and the poet Rudolphe but forcefully relocates this tory to the present day … (the play) switches between modes such as showbiz, artists’ party, musical, formal occasion and swan song, examining clichés about ‘free love’ and showing promiscuity in a Eurosceptic era. A satirical machine gun whose postmodern crossover mixes indie pop with Puccini’s hit songs.» (Bayerischer Rundfunk)