OPERA REVIEW : Borrowed ‘Boheme’ Still Looks Good in Orange County

With a cast of promising but relatively unknown singers, the revival this month of Opera Pacific’s borrowed “La Boheme” has just one brilliant component: the production itself. But that element does shine.

The massive, old-fashioned sets and handsomely coordinated, understated costumes designed by Zack Brown for Washington Opera in 1981--and seen there again in 1984 and 1990, as well as in Costa Mesa five years ago--still must please traditionalists. The visual production, Brown’s Valentine to the Paris of 1830, fairly glows, this time under the attentive and detailed lighting scheme devised by Marie Barrett.

Opening Opera Pacific’s seventh Orange County Performing Arts Center season Saturday night, this “Boheme” still looks as attractive as it did in the spring of 1987, when it closed the company’s first season in the new house. With an energetic young conductor, Steven Mercurio, in charge in the pit, it also sounds bright and fresh.

A dressed-to-the-teeth audience, which seemed to fill Segerstrom Hall on opening night, responded enthusiastically to the visuals, and to the music--though, this time around, with better sense than reported five years ago: Inappropriate applause, at least at the ends of acts, did not materialize on Saturday; the quiet endings could be heard. The happy clappers did not hesitate, however, to show their appreciation after every aria.

Much of the time, such appreciation seemed warranted. The young and able cast that general director David DiChiera put together for opening night does look and sound a game group, enthusiastic in their newness to the musical tasks, conscientious, if seldom touching, in their acting.

With one exception, that being the Colline of Kenneth Cox, who appeared in the same role here five years ago, these are not exactly veterans. But they do take their assignments seriously.

Best of the lot are Jan Grissom, an irresistible Musetta who sounds mellow and holds the stage effortlessly, and Cox, whose Colline looks still-youthful and demonstrates both a major vocal endowment and a polished acting style.

Stella Zambalis, the soprano from Ohio who can be seen in “Ghosts of Versailles” from the Met (tonight on PBS and reviewed on F4), often creates a credible heroine here; this attractive Mimi sings her two arias with a pretty if undistinctive tone and nice attention to words, and she interacts well with her colleagues.

Her Rodolfo, also taking his role for the first time, is the Puerto Rican tenor Cesar Hernandez, whose voice at this point promises much, but does not yet chill or thrill the listener, though its range is impressive. As an actor, he seems willing but still in the primitive stage.

More good promise can be heard and seen in the work of Mark Rucker, a gifted baritone here playing Marcello, and in the entry-level Schaunard of Timothy Jon Sarris.

Following the concept of the original stage director, Gian Carlo Menotti, Roman Terleckyj seems to have retained effective detailing in the dramatic scheme and also caused his young cast to work as a team. Visually, the show seen on opening night moved smoothly and without distractions.

Musically, it did that also, thanks to conductor Mercurio, who more often than not leaned toward fast tempos but gave the singers their breath. His orchestra played with strength as well as confidence. Trained again by Henri Venanzi, the chorus sounded similarly bright.