A study published in the American Journal of Public Health earlier this year found that 530,000 families file for bankruptcy each year due to medical bills. Only a third of all Americans have saved more than $1,000 for emergency expenses. And this may be 2019, but Americans can still relate. The bad news? What the bohemians scrounge up wouldn’t cover an emergency room visit today. The good news? Tuberculosis is totally treatable now. In Act Four, the bohemians have to sell their possessions to pay for Mimì’s medical treatment. (“Burdened” = spending more than 30% of income on housing.) Another study found that 568,255 new affordable housing units would be needed to meet demand in LA County. This year, the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (Freddie Mac) reported that Los Angeles is the nation’s third most rent burdened metropolitan area. It’s a plight that hits too close to home for many Angelenos. In Act One, the four bohemian roommates are three months behind in their rent. And while the scenery is new, the story you fell in love with the first time stays the same (and is actually more relevant than ever). One of Europe’s most extraordinary directors, Barrie Kosky, leads our first new staging in 25 years.

But word on the street is that this production of #LAOBoheme is different from any other you’ve ever seen. “Didn’t I see that production four years ago?” (And odds are, you might have since Operabase lists Boh ème as the third most globally-performed opera of the 2018/2019 season). We’re kicking off the start of the 2019/20 season with one of the most beloved Puccini operas of all time.

La boheme opera youtube