Opera Australia · Joan Sutherland Theatre
Constantine Costi's new production for Opera Australia sets Puccini's opera about four broke artists and a seamstress in a snowy Paris, sung in Italian with English surtitles above the stage. At two and a quarter hours with one interval, and with Puccini's best-loved tunes, it's the opera to pick as your first.
La Bohème is the story of Rodolfo, a poet, and Mimì, the seamstress who knocks on his door one cold Christmas Eve in the Latin Quarter. Around them are his painter friend Marcello, the singer Musetta and the rest of the gang: cafe nights, rent they can't pay, love, jealousy, and an ending that has people crying in the stalls for 130 years. Puccini packs it into four short acts. It's sung in Italian, with English and Simplified Chinese surtitles projected above the stage.
This is a new staging, directed by Constantine Costi with sets by Dann Barber, costumes by Sabina Myers and Paris under snow. Opera Australia's season runs from 2 January to 17 March 2027, with evening shows at 7:30pm and some matinees. Andrea Battistoni conducts until 9 February and Matteo Dal Maso from 11 February. The lead roles rotate: Maria Teresa Leva, Jennifer Black and Samantha Clarke share Mimì, and Matteo Desole, Paride Cataldo and Iain Henderson share Rodolfo, so check the cast for your date. The production has its Sydney premiere on New Year's Eve, 31 December 2026, a separate Opera Australia performance priced from A$249.
Read this before you book. The GetYourGuide ticket is non-refundable, and the listing itself names no dates, so pick your performance in the calendar and check it twice before you pay. It's a new listing with no reviews yet, and it isn't suitable for children under 6. Opera Australia's own seats start from A$79 plus a $9.80 booking fee, against $118 here, so compare both on your date. There's no dress code.
Bags are checked at the entrance and large bags are not allowed in. Use the cloakroom.
The garret, then the crowded Café Momus on Christmas Eve. The surtitles run above the stage.
Drinks in the foyer with the harbour in the windows. The only time photos are fine.
A snowy dawn at the city gate, then back to the garret for the ending.
Out onto the Monumental Steps, 6 to 10 minutes on foot from Circular Quay.
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Opera Australia's new production runs from 2 January to 17 March 2027 in the Joan Sutherland Theatre, after a Sydney premiere on New Year's Eve, 31 December 2026.
No. It's sung in Italian, with English and Simplified Chinese surtitles above the stage.
About 2 hours and 15 minutes, including one interval. A 7:30pm show ends around 9:45pm.
Not this one. The GetYourGuide ticket is non-refundable. If your dates might change, book a tour instead: the official tour cancels for free up to 24 hours before.
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Puccini's La Bohème in a new Opera Australia production, sung in Italian with English surtitles.
Sydney Opera House Guided TourThe House's own one-hour tour: the foyers, the halls free that day and the Utzon story, in four languages.★ 4.8 · 1 hour · from $35
VIP Backstage Tour and BreakfastIn through the Stage Door at 7am: rehearsal rooms, the orchestra pit, then breakfast in the Green Room. Ages 10+.★ 4.8 · 2.5 hours · from $138
Opera House Tour with a Meal and DrinkThe official one-hour tour, then a main and a drink on the harbour at Midden by Mark Olive or Opera Bar.★ 4.7 · 2 hours · from $64