Audiences love the Zeffirelli sets. Critics always say that he puts too much “stuff” on the stage; too many animals, too many people and too much “stuff”. Yet, when the curtain comes up the people applaud. That’s exactly what they did when the curtain rose for La Bohème.

Audiences love La Bohème. It’s amazing to think that this well loved opera was a critical failure when it opened in 1896. That changed quickly. The characters are young, poor and unable to pay the rent for their freezing apartments, but they are in love, they are Bohemians, they are in Paris, and the music is Puccini at his best. Although I am still waiting to see a fabulous Bohème with a tenor who gives me chills, this was as good a Bohème as any I have ever seen, and better than many. I’ve seen better individual performances, but as a whole, the cast came together quite well. The down points were few. The first was that conductor Daniel Oren, was very distracting to the people with seats close enough to see his giant gesticulations and to hear his occasional singing out loud as he conducts. The other was that O Soave Fanciulla was too fast. It’s a beautiful aria, and it zoomed right by.

This was Aquiles Machado’s (Rodolfo) premiere role at the Met. Having seen him in several small European houses, I thought that his voice might be too small to make the high notes sweet and still be heard throughout the cavernous Met. But, he was heard clearly throughout the house, although there were times that he looked like he was straining to hit and project the high notes.

Soprano Elena Eveesva (Mimì) fit very well with Mr. Machado. They both got off to a slow start in the first act, but by the second act they were more comfortable with each other and in their roles. They became a very believable couple and were well suited in their duets.

Emily Pulley’s (Musetta) entrance was in typically grand Zeffirelli style. Even when this Bohème is seen over and over it is still fun to see her in her bright red dress riding to Café Momus in a horse drawn coach waving to her adoring public. She and Mariusz Kwiecien (Marcello) showed real electricity, as they should. Pulley was tough and well able to throw insults at Marcello in the third act and she was soft in the fourth act selling her earrings to buy the dying Mimì a muff to keep her hands warm. She does both with the same convincing feelings.

The high point for both Mariusz and Eveesva was in the third act when Mimì went to Marcello for help in dealing with the jealous Rodolfo (O buon Marcello, aiuto!). Their voices were perfect and emotion filled. Her voice was lovely as she asked her friend for help, and response was equally beautiful.

The cast as a whole was very good. Bass-baritone Julien Robbins (Colline) and baritone Christopher Schaldenbrand (Schaunard) ensured that although their roles were not as large as that of Machado and Kwiecien, they were not minor roles. When Colline sang Vecchia zimarra to say good-bye to the faithful old coat he was about to pawn the emotion was intense.

It was a good Bohème. If the final scene is believable and makes me get a little choked up, they’ve done a good job. Machado has a great smile and it helped us believe that the boys were having a great time before Musetta came in with the news about Mimì. Then all the emotions changed. And yes, I got a little choked up.