THEATER LATTÉ DA ANNOUNCES THE CAST FOR THE RE-IMAGINED STAGING OF THE BELOVED OPERA LA BOHÈME

Tony Potts and Corissa Bussian in LA BOHÈME, Photo by Dan Norman

Peter Rothstein’s award-winning production of Puccini’s beloved opera will enjoy its opening night in the intimate Ritz Theater, Jan 22. Tickets are on sale now at Latteda.org or by calling the Box Office at 612-339-3003.

LA BOHÈME stars Siena Forest and Corissa Bussian who will share the role of Mimi, Benjamin Dutcher and David Walton share the role of Rodolfo, Bergen Baker and Katherine Henly share the role of Musetta, Tony Potts as Marcello, with Bradley Greenwald as Benoît. 

Performances begin Jan 19 and run thru February 27, 2022 at the Ritz Theater
Opening Night January 22, 2022

(Minneapolis/St. Paul) Theater Latté Da today announced the cast of LA BOHÈME, the beloved Puccini opera re-imagined by Peter Rothstein with new orchestration by Joseph Schlefke. The production brings together rising stars in the opera world along with favorite performers from the Twin Cities music scene. Among the top 5 operas performed around the globe, LA BOHÈME features music by Giacomo Puccini and libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa. The production is directed by Theater Latté Da Artistic Director Peter Rothstein with Music Direction by Sonja Thompson and features a new orchestration by Joseph Schlefke. 

LA BOHÈME will run January 22 - February 27, 2022 at the Ritz Theater. Preview performances are January 19 - 21. Single tickets start at $35. Group, student, and other discounts are available. Tickets are on sale now through the box office at 612-339-3003 or online at Latteda.org. Post-show discussions and access services (ASL/AD performances) are available on select dates and by request. 

This passionate, timeless tale of love among young artists in Paris, can stake its claim as the world’s most popular opera, and inspired the long-running Broadway box office smash hit, RENT. Theater Latté Da brings Peter Rothstein’s innovative, award-winning staging to the intimate Ritz Theater for the first time. LA BOHÈME premiered at the Teatro Regio in Turin, Italy, on February 1, 1896. A group of friends are living a bohemian life in Paris and trying to make their livings creating art. Despite a tragic ending, the story celebrates love in the face of adversity.

Initially set in Paris during the 1830s, Rothstein’s production moves the action roughly 100 years later during the Nazi occupation of Paris. Rothstein states, “When I began to think about re-imagining LA BOHÈME, I quickly decided that moving the story out of Paris would be sacrilege, but there is very little in the libretto that is specific to time. Moving the action roughly a century later provided a specificity for me and my collaborators, making the story about a group of struggling artists all the more tangible, emotional and poignant.”

First presented to Twin Cities audiences in 2005 with a celebrated run at the Loring Playhouse, the production featured a new orchestration by Joseph Schlefke, capturing the sound of a Paris café or street band. The instrumentation includes accordion, guitar, piano, violin, clarinet and flute. Audiences and critics praised the production as “moving” and “exquisite” resulting in an Ivey Award win, the first for Theater Latté Da in the award ceremony’s inaugural year. The production was remounted in 2007 with a sold-out run at the Southern Theater. On March 13, 2020, Theater Latté Da’s production of La Boheme was shut down due to the Covid-19 pandemic, just before it would celebrate an opening night.

Peter Rothstein directs LA BOHÈME and shares, “I am thrilled to return to my favorite opera and the unique opportunity to tell this particular story in an intimate space such as the Ritz Theater.” 

The cast of LA BOHÈME features Siena Forest and Corissa Bussian making their Latté Da debut in the role of Mimi, Benjamin Dutcher (Latté Da: All is Calm: The Christmas Truce of 1914 (2015-Present), Assassins, Ragtime, Sweeney Todd, Master Class) and David Walton (making his Latté Da debut) are Rodolfo, Bergen Baker and Katherine Henly make their Latté Da debut in the role of Musetta, Tony Potts makes his Latté Da debut in the role of Marcello, Justin Spenner makes his Latté Da debut as Schaunard, Rodolfo Nieto (Latté Da: All is Calm, A Little Night Music, Assassins, Man of La Mancha) is Colline, Bradley Greenwald (Latté Da: Candide, A Little Night Music, C.) is Benoît. Andrew Nalley makes his Latté Da debut as Alcindoro. The ensemble also includes Amy Wolf, Anna Hashizume, Noah Scharback and Morrow Piper, all make their Latté Da debuts.

The creative team for LA BOHÈME includes Peter Rothstein (director), Sonja Thompson (music director), Michael Hoover (scenic designer), Rich Hamson (costume designer), Paul Toni (hair and makeup designer) Grant E. Merges (lighting designer), Abbee Warmboe (properties design), Elissa Adams (dramaturg), and Shelby Reddig (production stage manager).

Theater Latté Da is an award-winning Twin Cities musical theater company that combines music and story to illuminate the breadth and depth of the human experience. The company seeks to create new connections between story, music, artist, and audience by exploring and expanding the art of musical theater.  www.latteda.org

FACT SHEET: 

LA BOHÈME

Music by Giacomo Puccini 
Libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa
New orchestration by Joseph Schlefke  

Directed by Peter Rothstein 
Music Direction by Sonja Thompson

This passionate, timeless, and indelible story of love among young artists in Paris, can stake its claim as the world’s most popular opera. Theater Latté Da brings Peter Rothstein’s innovative, award-winning staging to the intimate Ritz Theater. Lyrical and touchingly beautiful, La Bohème is the definitive depiction of the joys and sorrows of love and loss, and a celebration of art in the face of adversity.

Featuring Siena Forest and Corissa Bussian as Mimi, Benjamin Dutcher and David Walton as Rodolfo, Bergen Baker and Katherine Henly as Musetta, Tony Potts as Marcello, along with Justin Spenner, Rodoflo Nieto, Bradley Greenwald, Amy Wolf, Anna Hashizume, Andrew Nalley, Noah Scharback, and Morrow Piper.

Sung in Italian with English surtitles projected above the stage.
Dates: Wednesday, January 19 – Sunday, February 27, 2022
Venue: Ritz Theater, 345 13th Avenue NE, Minneapolis MN 55413

Tickets start at $35 and are on sale now.
Group, student, and other discounts are available.