Music: La bohème

COVID has had a catastrophic effect on the performing arts, so it was nice to see live music again at the Palm Beach Opera's 2021 festival, performed al fresco at the South Florida Fairgrounds Amphitheatre:

We watched some major league talent sing La bohème, sort of the opera equivalent of McDonald's: comfort food that maybe isn't the most complex experience musically. The concert-style staging and socially distanced blocking were smart concessions to the pandemic, but also made the plot fairly incomprehensible if you weren't previously familiar with the opera.

Still, everyone could tell the performers were giving it their all, and in some ways, the minimalist production was suited to La bohème's working-class setting. It was a unique experience and a lot of fun - let's just hope we don't have to do the same thing next year.