La BohèmeOct 18 - Oct 21, 2012

Turning a world-famous opera into a world-premiere ballet is a challenge only master storyteller Michael Pink could take on. This season also marks Pink’s 10th anniversary with the organization. The milestone means Pink will become the Ballet’s longest serving Artistic Director, at the helm for a quarter of the organization’s existence. What was once conveyed through voice and words is now told solely with movement. The ballet is set to Puccini’s epic score, played live by the Milwaukee Ballet Orchestra. The storyline follows the romance of Rodolfo and Mimi falling in and out of love amid poverty in a tale as aching and rapturous as ever, all without the use of words. Pink’s production of La Bohème is unique in that this is one of the only times the story will be told as a full-length ballet. He sees it as a long-overdue adaptation of a beautiful love story. Pink has also added a fifth scene at the end of the second act that better describes an often omitted part of the story. The production is staged in 1950s bohemian Paris and comes to life through elaborate scenery and costumes, all being created in-house by Milwaukee Ballet. After the world-premiere in Milwaukee, La Bohème will be available to travel to other companies across the country.