"LA BOHEME."

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume L, Issue 12529, 4 June 1910, Page 8

"LA BOHEME."

THE STORY OF THE OPERA

"La Bohame," by Puccini, to he given by the J. C. Williamson Opera Company on Tuesday, is of an entirely different character from "Madam Butterfly." In view of its early production the story will be of interest. In a small top-loft room, whose walh were the chief ~ furniture, a nice littlt gird embroidered flowers on cloth for a living. In a big, barracky room below, which served as studio, livingroom, entertninmenifc hall, club, anci tryst. bower,.. roomed three rollicking young students, thirilang little about themselves and much about everything else in the universe, and a fourth, a poetic, sentimental sort of fellow.

One day the--three jolly fellows went out. The nice little girl, Mimi, going upstairs, caught a corner draught which blew her candle out, leaving her in total darkness upon,the,,stair. Knocking at the first spotnp,. wall within reach, it was openedfb^Kudolph! Had she been a scrawny,.flat-footed, puttyfaced girl, +-h© tip^sv; .f-.: r einbroiderelf would hayo Jiad her*" candle lighted gracefully, have offered many thanks and apologies, received insistant_assurance of the pleasure thereby won,"and would have igone her way as she came. But she was invited to remain. When the boys came back they were told to go elsewhere, and they politely obeyed, while Mr Poet went on with his wooing. Before the evening was over the girl would have died for the man, and she never got over the feeling. Always ailing, Mimi soon became ill and faded-looking. Rudolph got tired of it, not ; of her particularly, but of the strain of taking cure of her without any money. It is the story of the petted house-cat, sheltered, caressed, fed, and cared for, till some change in family arrangements makes the poor, small, i hopeless thing a burden. All love (?) her, of course, but no one is willing to take the trouble of her, so out Mimi goes to die by degrees in the alleyj with, her eyes fastened upon the lights of the window she,dare not approach.