Puccini’s La Boheme – Opera Santa Barbara (2002) – Santa Barbara News Press

One of the wonders of Puccini’s opera is its unique mix of boisterous comedy with poignant realism. The end of Act III is such a moment. Director James Marvel placed Musetta and Marcello in the center upstage and proposed a series of knockabout actions, including Musetta dumping a glass of champagne on Marcello’s head…It’s a dogfight…violent and dramatic. Meanwhile, he had Mimi and Rodolfo moving very slowly toward one another across the front of the stage, their hearts breaking. The voices rose and one of musical theater’s best scenes sprang to life again…filling the room with soaring, rapturous melody and pure emotion. It was impossible not to be swept away.

– Santa Barbara News Press, November 22, 2002