Grand Opera House, Belfast Thurs 10th/Sat 12th 7.15pm £12.25-£39.75 048-90241919; Grand Canal Theatre, Dublin Wed 16th/Fri 18th/Sat 19th 7.30pm €45-€125 0818-719377
There have been good reviews of Irish soprano Celine Byrne in her Scottish Opera debut as Mimì in
La Bohème
. Any controversy associated with the production (which was the subject of a special promotion to Sun readers) has had to do with director and designer Stewart Laing’s updating and relocation of Puccini’s tale of impoverished youthful love to latter-day New York, and some critics’ perception that conductor Francesco Corti allows the orchestra to overpower the singers.
The production is coming to Ireland for five performances, two in Belfast’s Grand Opera House and three in Dublin’s Grand Canal Theatre, marking the new venue’s first full tryout for opera. You can be sure that the board of the new Irish National Opera Company, as well as the mandarins in the Department of Tourism, Culture and Sport and the Arts Council, will be watching the outcome with interest.
