As a tale about a close-knit group of friends living, loving and losing together, La bohème is the perfect choice for a night out with mates, particularly if you’ve never been to an opera before.
Rodolfo and Marcello are the two closest pals in Puccini’s much-loved opera. We spoke to singers Joshua Blue and Josef Jeongmeen Ahn to discover what it’s like to be on-stage buddies.
Book now
Joshua Blue as Rodolfo and Josef Jeongmeen Ahn as Marcello at Opera North's Season Launch © Justin Slee
Tell us about your respective characters.
Joshua: I’m singing the role of Rodolfo. He’s an aspiring poet who lives in Paris with his best friend Marcello. Rodolfo hasn’t had anything published yet, but he spends his working time writing for a local paper in the hope that eventually they’ll publish something more substantial of his. He loves to spend time with Marcello and their two other friends, Schaunard and Colline, playing card games, discussing the state of the world, and finding out new ways to avoid paying rent! Rodolfo is a soft, sentimental type. He’s not been very lucky in love, but dreams of finding the perfect person for himself someday. Someone kind, artistic, intelligent, who loves words as much as he does …
Josef: I sing the role of Marcello. He’s a painter who lives in Paris with his friends Rodolfo, Schaunard and Colline. He’s strong and passionate, sometimes hot tempered, but has a very kind heart. His love story with Musetta is full of emotions. They fight, they laugh, they love. I think he is very real and human. I like Marcello because he’s honest about his feelings. He loves deeply and he’s not afraid to show it. He can be angry or jealous, but also very caring and loyal to his friends. He’s full of life and never boring.
Thomas Atkins as Rodolfo and Timothy Nelson as Marcello in La bohème 2019 © Richard H Smith
What’s it like being on-stage pals?
Joshua: I love getting to share the stage with Josef. On stage and off, he has such a warm, joyous energy that brightens every space he enters. When we step onto the stage as Rodolfo and Marcello, I don’t feel any need to act like we are good friends, because while I see him as his character, I still see my friend smiling and playing back with me. Josef makes every performance a little different and always a good time!
Josef: It is pure joy! With Rodolfo, I feel a very special connection. I think they understand each other more deeply than anyone else in the story. In the Act 4 duet, when we both miss our lovers, I get a lot of energy from Josh on stage. Sean as Schaunard is our saviour when we are cold and hungry, and he always brings fun and laughter to everyone. And Colline, Han Kim, has such a calm and warm presence. He keeps the balance among us and makes the group feel complete.
Sébastien Guèze as Rodolfo and Phillip Rhodes as Marcello in La bohème, 2014 © Robert Workman
When did you first see La bohème and what did you think of it?
Josef: The first opera I ever did was La bohème. I sang in the chorus when I was an undergraduate student. I thought it was a great opera, maybe because there are two main baritone roles! As a baritone, I really liked that. Haha.
Joshua: I first saw La bohème when I was in high school (secondary school for y’all), it was towards the end of the semester and we didn’t have much work left to do so my choir teacher treated us to Portillo’s (a Chicago area staple if you’re ever out that way), and we watched a DVD recording of the opera in class. Like any musical theatre kid, I’d been very aware of Jonathan Larson’s Rent, so to see the story that inspired the musical was such a beautiful moment of understanding how art can change and evolve over time but still carry the same ideas across generations.
What’s your favourite bit in the opera?
Josef: My favourite moment is in Act 2 when Marcello cannot hide his jealousy and love for Musetta anymore. His emotions burst out, and the orchestra and chorus all join in, making it possibly the loudest and most dramatic moment in the whole opera. Of course, their relationship becomes difficult again in Act 3, but this scene is unforgettable and full of energy.
Joshua: I’m a big fan of Marilyn’s bread rolls. Want to know what any of that means? Guess you’ll have to come see the show!
The friends try and wriggle out of paying rent in the 2019 production of La bohème © Richard H Smith
Why’s this the perfect opera for best mates and first-timers?
Joshua: La bohème is about as classic as opera gets. It’s a story that at its very core is so relatable to first-timers – and 100th timers. Love, friendship, community and hardship. Things each and every one of us will experience in some way in our lives. The friendships are vibrant, playful and funny, the love is tender, passionate and beautiful, and the ending will make you cry every single time. One thing I love about a Puccini opera is that he’s a master manipulator in the way he writes his music. What he wants you to feel he writes into the score and, whether you have a doctorate in opera or are experiencing it for the very first time, you’ll be pushed and pulled along the score in exactly the way he wants.
Josef: I think La bohème is a great opera for friends to see together because it tells a story about friendship, love and everyday life that everyone can relate to. The music is beautiful and emotional, the characters are real and funny, and there are moments of laughter as well as sadness. It’s easy to feel connected to the story and the characters, even if it is your first opera.
Joshua: I’ve done many performances of this show, and seen it many more, but I still feel myself moved in the same ways like it was the first time, every time.
You can see Joshua and Josef in La bohème when their cast has its first show at Leeds Grand Theatre on 24 October 2025. Following its run in Leeds, the opera tours, with both casts, to Newcastle, Salford and Nottingham. Performed in its original Italian, it will have English subtitles displayed on either side of the stage in every venue.
