The Italian city of Perugia is planning to present a shortened version of Giacomo Puccini's opera “La Boheme”. The production has been adapted for a modern audience, in particular for the “TikTok generation”. This was reported by daily.afisha.ru with reference to The Times.
Tenor Gianluca Terranova took on the task of reworking the classic work. He sped up the arias and reduced the running time from 2 hours and 40 minutes to an hour and a half. Terranova also added narrator's notes to make the plot more understandable.
The aim of the adaptation is to attract young people and those who do not usually attend opera. Terranova believes that Puccini would have approved of this approach, as it will permit his work to be introduced to a wider audience.
The abridged version can be staged in smaller theatres and will cost less than the original. Terranova hopes that this will help revive provincial theatres.
However, not everyone welcomes the changes. Music critic Alberto Mattioli believes that “La Boheme” is an ideal opera that should not be changed.
“If you help people understand what Puccini says about us, you will bring them to the theatre. It is the public that needs to be raised to the level of Puccini, not Puccini brought down to the level of the illiterate”, - Mattioli stressed.
