In 1996, the Tony Award-winning musical “Rent” brought the 1896 opera “La Bohème” into the present day, telling the story of low-income artists struggling to survive at the height of the AIDS crisis. The musical shifted the setting from Paris to Manhattan’s East Village and was presented with new music and text, but much of the original story.

Minnesota Opera’s production of “La Bohème,” featuring Giacomo Puccini’s original music and libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa, also endeavors to imagine the plight of Mimì, Rodolfo, Marcello and Musetta and their friends set in contemporary times. With a few design and staging decisions, the story easily translates. That’s in part because the themes in the original work (based on a book by Henri Murger) are so universal — including love, youth, economic hardship, and friendship. At its heart, the story’s focus on the allure of living a creative life surrounded by an artistic community is as relatable today as it must have been when “La Bohème” first performed.

In Illica and Giacosa’s libretto, you never get a sense the bohemians in the story are all that brilliant in their art-making. Being artists is more a matter of their personal identity and sense of place in the world. Their creativity also fuels the high drama of their personal relationships, while also not providing quite enough money to live.

Stage director Rodula Gaitanou adds a few key details that help bring this “La Bohème” into the 21st century. For one thing, Gaitanou transforms a military parade that takes place in Act II into a yellow vest protest like the movement popularized in France beginning in 2018. That artistic choice contextualizes the income inequality at the route of the struggles of the main characters.

Additionally, while the production sticks with the heterosexual coupling of the original opera, Gaitanou adds LGBTQ characters into the chorus scenes and gives a featured moment (though a silent one) to a trans character in the third act.

The designers all add to the look and feel of contemporary times, but often in less than straightforward ways. Scenic Designer takis creates a luminous set (lit beautifully by D.M. Wood) of a glass structure placed within an abstracted construction of trestles. It calls to mind both a train structure and the Eiffel Tower. Costume designer Trevor Bowen, meanwhile, mixes up a great deal of plaid and denim with metallic fabrics and bold patterns in his vision for what people in this world wear.

Won Whi Choi returns to Minneapolis for this production, playing Rodolfo on alternate nights, after stunning in his previous Minnesota Opera role as Don José in “Carmen.” His camaraderie and vocal pairing with Joo Won Kang, who plays Marcello on alternate nights, has a pleasing swagger, and Rodolfo demonstrates his focused strength in his magnetic scenes with MiMí, played by Melinda Whittington on alternate nights. With her scarlet dress and hat, local singer Keely Futterer is a scene stealer as the vivacious Musetta.

Not every moment works. There’s an exuberance to the crowd scenes that verges on chaos at times, and on opening night, the curtain got caught on the set more than once. But musically, the leads carried the story through with care, and Christopher Franklin led the Minnesota Opera Orchestra to the swelling heights of Puccini’s emotionally driven score.

Minnesota Opera’s “La Bohème”

When: 7:30 p.m. Thursday, May 9; 7:30 p.m. Saturday, May 11; 2 p.m. Saturday, May 12; 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, May 14; 7:30 p.m. Thursday. May 16; 7:30 p.m. Saturday, May 18; 2 p.m. Sunday, May 19.

Where: The Ordway, 345 Washington St, St. Paul

Tickets: $58-$139

Capsule: Universal themes carry “La Bohème” into the 21st century.

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What with women’s basketball’s current surge in popularity, the timing is good for Penumbra Theatre’s production of “Flex,” a very well-crafted play by Candrice Jones about a high school girls basketball team in small-town Arkansas. While it’s about the sport, it mostly concerns the challenges facing the young women playing it.

Under the direction of Tiffany Nichole Greene, Penumbra’s production is an unfailingly absorbing ensemble piece that boasts six strong performances, played out on a set that actually becomes a basketball court, complete with backboard, net and scoreboards. And the five young women display very believable court skills to go with the compelling portrayals they offer as Jones’ script fleshes out the individuality of each.

But a word to any adults thinking of bringing a girl of middle school age or younger who loves the game: “Flex” is a very honest play about the conflicts confronting these high school seniors, and the topics and language pull no punches.

Our story is centered in the relationships between the five starters on the Plainnole Lady Train, a team reaching the climax of its final season together. It’s 1998 and the WNBA has recently debuted, bringing a new set of dreams into these players’ lives, particularly two who are hoping for Division I college scholarships. But one teammate is pregnant and others are addressing issues of sexual identity and religion that seem destined for a collision.

It’s not surprising to learn that playwright Jones was a high school basketball player who went on to play in college. “Flex” bears the ring of truth throughout our two hours with this team. Team captain Starra seems at first the focus as she delivers much of the exposition in verbal missives to her departed mother, but we soon find that each character has a compelling story to tell.

Eboni Edwards as Starra Jones in Penumbra Theatre’s production of “Flex,” a play by Candrice Jones about a girls basketball team full of players confronting some key life decisions. The show runs May 2-19, 2024 at the St. Paul theater. (Caroline Yang / Penumbra Theatre)

Eboni Edwards conveys a fine balance of swagger and insecurity as Starra, who runs into a wall of confidence in a new-to-town teammate she sees as a rival for the attention of college recruiters, Kalala Kiwanuka-Woernle’s smooth, straight-talking Sidney. Also impressively inhabiting their characters are Tyra Lee Ramsey as the sweet peacemaker Cherise, an aspiring Baptist minister whose sexuality may prove problematic to her path, and Charlotte McDaniel as Donna, a teammate with the aura of a wise elder.

But the character who undergoes the most arresting transformation is Aubree Chanel Dixon’s April, who is pregnant and struggling to stay with the team against the wishes of the hard-nosed coach. In this starting five, April is the one for whom the stakes are highest, and Dixon delivers a very involving performance.

The coach is played with just the right mix of compassionate leader and reliving-past-glories nag by Regina Marie Williams. And what a pleasure it is to have Williams back on a local stage after a late-2023 health scare. Her performance as Coach Pace is a fine reminder of the complex layers she seems to bring to every portrayal.

With Ruben Arana-Downs’ set taking us between the court and the living room, and Tommy Franklin and Faith Johnson Patterson helping shape the cast’s basketball skills, “Flex” is a journey with rewards far greater than your average sports story.

Rob Hubbard can be reached at wordhub@yahoo.com.

‘Flex’

When: Through May 19

Where: Penumbra Theatre, 270 N. Kent St., St. Paul

Tickets: $45-$20, available at 651-224-3180 or penumbratheatre.org

Capsule: What looks like a sports story is really a compelling coming-of-age drama.

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David Festa, the top pitching prospect in the Twins’ organization, got the start on Sunday at CHS Field looking to build on his best start as a member of the Saints.

Things did not go as well as the 24-year-old had hoped, but he was not discouraged after taking the loss in the Saints’ 7-6 loss to the Louisville Bats.

Festa, who tied a team record in his last start when he struck out 10, picked up eight strikeouts on Sunday but allowed five runs in 3 1/3 innings, including a pair of home runs.

“I felt like it came down to a couple pitches,” the New Jersey native said. “I had eight strikeouts. I thought the fastball velocity was the best it’s been all year. Made a couple of pitches they took advantage of, and that’s kind of just baseball.”

St. Paul’s loss came after back-to-back wins for the first time since April 5-6.

After allowing a solo home run in the second inning, Festa was touched for three runs on five hits in the third. The Saints tied the game with a four-run third, but Festa’s day was done when he gave up a one-out home run in the fourth.

Festa has made a rapid rise within the organization since being selected in the 13th round in the 2021 draft out of Seton Hall. He is currently the No. 5 prospect in the organization according to MLB Pipeline.

Festa made 19 starts at Double-A Wichita last season, going 3-3 with an ERA of 4.39. He finished the season with the Saints, going 1-1 with a 2.92 ERA.

“The recognition is great, but in reality all that matters is what I do in between the lines,” Festa said. “It doesn’t impact what I do on a day-to-day basis. I wasn’t a high draft pick and I kind of went under the radar in college.

“I don’t lack motivation. I know nothing was really handed to me — ever. I take that mentality everyday, from the day I signed with the Twins up until now. My mentality hasn’t changed.”

Two things have changed — and for the better. First, the velocity on his fastball has jumped from the low 90s in college to the 95-97 mph range. The increase coincided with his joining the organization.

“I think it’s a credit to the people around me, the coaches and the personnel,” Festa said. “I think the Twins do a really good job of developing players, as you see throughout our minor leagues.

“And a lot of later picks like me have done really well. I’m really happy to be in this organization.”

The second change has to do with the 6-foot-6 Festa’s physical makeup. His major goal during the offseason was to add weight and strength, and he came into the season at 195 pounds, 10 more than last season.

Festa said he did it by eating right, working out and drinking plenty of protein shakes, a formula that continues into the season.

“I tried to do a lot of high-volume workouts this offseason to try to build my stamina and my ability to recover,” he said. “And, ultimately, build some muscle mass. I’m a tall, lean guy, so I get super sore after outings.

“With the 10 pounds, I feel like I’ve recovered a lot better. This was the first time I’ve thrown on five days (rest) in a long time, and my body felt great. To know that my body is in a good spot, I know I’m heading in the right direction.”

Briefly

Matt Wallner’s home run streak ended at three consecutive games, but he had two hits to raise his average to .230.

Relief pitcher Justin Topa, on rehab assignment from the Twins, pitched at scoreless sixth.