La bohème is one of the most popular operas in the repertoire, with lots of big tunes and a remarkably simple plot of young love and early death. From the very first notes, Puccini plunges us into this portrayal of bohemian life in Paris, and English Touring Opera’s production shows us how very dingy and dull that life is.

The programme notes explain that director James Conway and designer Florence de Maré wanted a production that looked like a memory but, equally, it looks authentically like poverty. From the cramped space of the friends’ attic, with little furniture except packing cases which work for chairs, tables and, eventually, Mimi’s death bed, to Café Momus, packed with people dressed in the same serviceable fabrics and colours, it is hardly glamorous.

Into the attic comes Mimi, a sweet and innocent Ilona Domnich, looking for a light and finding Rodolfo. David Butt Philip’s Rodolfo is a nice boy and, in different circumstances, we can imagine him doing the decent thing by Mimi, but he is too young and inexperienced to deal with it, especially once he realises that Mimi’s health will not recover.

If only he had some of Marcello’s maturity – Nicholas Lester plays him with few illusions about life, even his love for capricious Musetta. Sky Ingram is the one splash of colour in the piece – her red dress, her red hair and her fiery temper stand out against the muted greys and browns and greens of the others. In a delicious bit of overacting, she dominates the stage when she reveals yards of leg, feigning crippling (shoe)pain to get rid of her current wealthy gentleman and go off with Marcello.

Colline is rather the butt of the friends’ jokes, but Matthew Stiff’s lament for his old coat, about to be pawned for Mimi’s benefit, is beautifully sung – and suggests that there is much more to Colline than Mimi and Rodolfo’s story lets us know.

Next to Musetta, Shaunard (Njadbula Madlala) has the most colour in his clothes / life – a dashing long crimson brocade gown hints at a flamboyance yet to be given space to flourish.

In Café Momus, children crowd in to watch Pa’Guignol – the Punch and Judy show. In the Perth Concert Hall performance, the children’s chorus was the Oakbank Primary Choir and very good it was too.In the Concert Hall, the large sound conductor Michael Rosewell draws from the orchestra occasionally overwhelmed the singers – particularly David Butt Philip.

Mark Howland’s lighting is effective throughout, capturing the darkness and dullness of midwinter without full electric lighting. The white light focussed on Mimi’s white blouse as she dies, surrounded by the others in the shadows, heightens the poignancy of the scene.

This is a good, ensemble production with excellent singing from soloists and chorus.