With Romeo and Juliet, film director Baz Luhrmann displayed a talent for refreshing the classics, which also enhances this Australian Opera production. Nominally it’s set in 1950s Paris, hence posters for Sagan’s Bonjour Tristesse; but it misses the era’s milder charms. The dark urban-grey setting, punctuated with aggressive splashes of colour, seems much more 90s, with a strongly camp flavour as the young lovers embrace against the huge neon sign L’AMOUR atop their garret. The Bohemians are unusually convincing. Hobson’s Rodolfo projects a very recent romantic image: an Australian soap-opera hero, designer-stubbled, leather-jacketed and sexually forward. His tenor is clear and thrilling, but its vibrant beat lacks the smoothness of DVD rivals Pavarotti or Schicoff, and becomes wearing after a while. Baker is a clear-voiced but less individual Mimi, rather wooden in close-up and looking obstinately healthy. Roger Lemke’s paint-spattered Marcello is robust but rough-voiced; David Lemke sings a more positive Schaunard than most. Rowley is a light-voiced but well-characterised Colline, a hippie in flip-up sunglasses and a vile green plaid zimarra. Only Douglas’s cheerfully blowsy Musetta seems overly mature.
Around them Luhrmann’s production moves with admirable life and vigour, full of detail – including a surprisingly sinister Parpignol. Smith’s conducting is reliable rather than enthralling, but the overall result is highly involving. Against Covent Garden’s splendid traditional version (Arthaus, 8/00) this seems a little mannered and undersung, but its admirable immediacy may well catch the eye and ear of those who find period settings a problem, younger audiences especially. The TV-made recording is decent, but not top quality visually.'