Last Christmas, Hollywood was buzzing thanks to a revival of the movie musical with Rent. After all, there was singing, dancing and lots of death.

Prophetic as Jonathan Larson’s AIDS drama was, the story was not entirely his own. The plot of Rent is based on the beautiful opera by Italian composer Gianni Puccini, “La Boheme”, which is currently playing at the Kennedy Center.

The story centers around a duo of talented young artists: Marcello, played by a dapper Hyung Yun, and Rodolfo, played by Italian alto Vittorio Grigolo, who live in a drafty apartment, barely able to scrounge enough money to survive. They burn their photos and drafts of unpublished novels to create the fire to keep them warm, until one day, the beautiful Mimi, a flower-maker from downstairs played by Adriana Damato, easily the best singer of the cast, comes into Rodolfo’s life. As in most operas, they fall in love instantly: The only thing standing in their way is Mimi’s mysterious, debilitating sickness. As Mimi and Rodolfo fall in love, Marcello’s romantic life falls apart when his gorgeous, but incredibly flirtatious girlfriend, Musetta, played by soprano Nicole Cabell, cheats on him with numerous men. All of this comes to a close by the end of the first act, when, through song, of course, Marcello and Musetta make up and both couples are happily embracing as the curtain falls for intermission.

The second act brings more conflict and tragedy as Rodolfo pulls away from Mimi, fearing the weakness he sees in her, while she gets closer to death everyday. The second scene ends with their breakup, created by Puccini with a show-stopping duet. In the final scene, all four leading characters try to move on with their lives, using all sorts of illegal pleasures, until Mimi desperately stumbles up the stairs, hoping to die in the arms of her true love. The final scene is a loving duet between Rodolfo and Mimi, which thankfully is spared the typical melodrama associated with death scenes. Rodolfo’s anguish is blatantly visible through his facial expressions, although his voice never wavers in the show’s final aria.

Conductor Emmanuel Villaume leads the orchestra through Puccini’s lively, fast-paced score. “La Boheme” is relatively short for an opera, with a running time of two hours and 10 minutes. Although it is sung in Italian, English supertitles are provided, making the show easy to follow and allowing the audience to focus on the acting and singing. Since the show so clearly lends itself to modernization, the director of this production, Mariusz Trelinski, has set the opera in the present day, making the story much more relatable. This also makes the parallels between “La Boheme” and Rent all the more apparent. The set is simple, with the stage transforming from Rodolfo’s living room to a bohemian café, by simply changing the location of a couch. Finishing touches, such as lighting and costumes are also simple, allowing the focus to be on the vocal talent.

“La Boheme”, despite its tragic ending, is overall a joy to watch. The singers have a passion that is obvious through their voices and body language, which makes up for the sometimes garish production. Overall, “La Boheme” is a show that will hold your attention and give a glimpse into another time and place, using the power of music, which was no doubt Puccini’s goal in the first place.