A full-scale production of "everyone's favorite opera," "La Boheme," is coming to the Wharton Center tonight.

The Michigan Opera Theatre's production of the opera, written by Giacomo Puccini and premiered in Italy in 1896, will play in Wharton Center's Great Hall today.

The show ended Sunday in Detroit after a week run at the Michigan Opera Theatre.

"We're delighted to come to East Lansing," said David DiChiera, founder and general director of the Michigan Opera Theatre. "And with the capacity to present productions on a scale we create for the opera house — a full-scale opera, instead of the 'Reader's Digest' version."

This is the first time since the 1980s that the Theatre has brought a show to East Lansing.

"La Boheme," translated as "The Bohemians," is a drama and comedy, a tale of young love as it affects the lives of four poverty-stricken friends. It is commonly referred to by those involved as "everyone's favorite opera," because of its accessibility and popularity.

"It's about young people, their struggles, their aspirations," DiChiera said. "People falling in and out of love, it always captures us, even those of us who are old. It makes us feel young again."

The story of "La Boheme" was inspiration for Jonathan Larson's Broadway production "Rent" which has been made into a movie and will be released Nov. 23.

Fans of either production will notice similarities in the stories, stage director E. Randahl Hoey said.

"The story (of 'Rent') is evocative of the original 'La Boheme,'" he said. "The music is its own music in 'Rent.'"

This production of "La Boheme" takes place in the 1890s — a conscious departure from its traditional setting in the 1830s.

"Paris is very vibrant at the time, particularly in arts," Hoey said. "I chose that time to give the visual presentation the greatest vibrance."

The story focuses on Rodolfo, a poet, and Marcello, an artist, who share an attic apartment. They live in a happy-go-lucky fashion with their friends Colline, a philosopher, and Schaunard, a musician. One evening, Rodolfo meets Mimi, a poor, ill seamstress who lives in a nearby apartment. The two fall in love and later join Rodolfo's friends at a Parisian café, where they also run into Musetta, Marcello's ex-girlfriend.

Through the opera, the relationships that develop struggle to stay together. When Mimi becomes ill with tuberculosis, the others struggle against their poverty to come up with money to help save her.

Actors for the show were cast from around the world. Hungarian tenor Attila Fekete is playing Rodolfo, Albanian soprano Ermonela Jaho is Mimi. Both performers are making their American debuts in this show.

Nicole Cabell, a soprano who recently won the Cardiff Singer of the World competition, plays Musetta.

"Everyone looks like the roles they sing," DiChiera said. "This is not always the case in opera."

Preparing for the show was intensive and required precision.

"Opera is an athletic event," Hoey said. "You have to be sure your voice carries over the orchestra and goes into the theater itself."

Opera doesn't use amplification such as microphones. "It's a real, pure art form," Hoey said.

While it is a grand opera, the story is accessible, DiChiera said.

"It's heartwarming," DiChiera said. "There are happy moments and sad moments. By the end, everyone will need a handkerchief."