By Pam Hromadka
Dr. Bill Shomos, cast of eight, technical staff of seven and music director pianist Denis Plutalov arrived in Friend, Nebraska for the February 22 and 24 productions of La Bohème, one of the many classic operas. This team worked untiringly to adapt the first floor of the Historic Warren Building to present the production. The second-floor opera house is under construction so it could not be used.
Thanks to the James C. and Rhonda Seacrest Tour Nebraska Opera Fund which generously sponsored the third opera to Friend. Previously The Marriage of Figaro in 2016 and The Tender Land in 2019 were performed.
The opera was presented to a standing room crowd to the Friend community on Sunday, February 22. This free event was performed for all ages. Even though the opera was performed in Italian, the guests could read the subtitles to understand the opera. Most of the attendees had never attended an opera. This was their first opera experience.
On February 24 a La Bohème matinee was attended by students grades 7-12 from the Dorchester, Friend, Exeter and Milligan Schools. Prior to the matinee performance, Bill presented a pre-show talk to the students to prepare them for the opera.
Bill summarized the opera- “Opera is all the arts coming together on the stage, it is music, it is drama, it is art. It is as though all the arts come together, take hands and dance in a circle. The audience will feel the music.”
With the performances, newspaper coverage and KOLN-TV, La Bohème has left a lasting impression on the citizens of Friend and the surrounding communities. Some of these communities included Nebraska City, Lincoln, Clay Center, Hastings, Fremont, Gibbon, Grand Island, Cairo, Omaha, and many others.