San Francisco Opera performances of Bohème Out of the Box at Radium Runway draw big crowds
Last weekend, on April 20 and 21, San Francisco Opera made a triumphant return to RADIUM Runway with two captivating performances of Bohème Out of the Box. The production is an abridged 75-minute rendition of Puccini’s La Bohème, the very first opera to be presented by San Francisco Opera a century ago. Directed by Jose Maria Condemi, the opera delighted the multi-generational audience.
Over 1,200 people aged 7 months to 77 years old gathered at the RADIUM Runway site on Alameda Point next to Seaplane Lagoon for the opportunity to enjoy live opera performed under the sun. Many of those in attendance were experiencing their first opera performance. The weekend’s events were especially rewarding for opera fans who had eagerly awaited the opera’s return after 2023’s weekend of performances was canceled by rain.
Unchecked by weather this year, the opera, sung in Italian with English narration, was performed by a talented cast of San Francisco Opera’s Adler Fellows with guest artists and piano accompaniment. Bohème Out of the Box is a shortened version of Giacomo Puccini’s La Bohème, a sweet and somewhat tragic love story about a young seamstress and poet struggling to get by in Paris, where the cost of living is impossibly expensive. That situation is not entirely unfamiliar to many people living in the Bay Area today.
The traveling performance is part of a project launched in 2023 to celebrate the Opera’s 100th anniversary, aiming to connect with new audiences around the Bay Area. The success of this weekend’s shows demonstrated the Opera’s ability to engage and captivate diverse audiences, introducing them to the beauty and emotion of this classic art form.
Photos copyright ©2024 Maurice Ramirez.
Don’t miss Radium Runway’s exciting lineup of events throughout the summer of 2024, including:
- May 4 – 5 Runway Dance Festival (free)
- June 21 La Misa Negra and SambaDo
- July 20 Sunny War and Diana Gameros
- Aug. 17 Jazz Mafia’s Grateful Brass and Scott Amendola’s group Sticklerphonics
- Sept. 21 The True Loves from Seattle and Andre Cruz & Chris Lujan
For more information about the upcoming schedule of events, visit the Radium website.
