NewYork City Opera has a beautiful and dramatically sound production of “La Boheme” in service at present.The sets are realistic when appropriate, fanciful when being poetic. There is snow and a gorgeous moon. Also, there is a palpable sense of the role of the settings in the drama itself. And its astoundingly shocking prolepsis in Act II (I won’t reveal its specific coup de theatre) will send you out into the lobby in a cold sweat.

Unlike the tired old Zeffirelli staging at the Metropolitan Opera – in which no one ever looks cold or uncomfortable and where 100 people take the stage simultaneously for the outdoor scene – this staging by James Robinson and designer Allen Moyer is extremely effective. City Opera being an ABC house without the “A” (they don’t do “Aida” much, probably because of its grandiose size), it is vital that their “Boheme” be of the highest quality possible.

And so it mostly was on Sunday afternoon. This is a good starter “Boheme,” and it was extremely heartening to see so many families at this matinee.It is difficult for a young person to become entranced by opera these days, what with the shameful abdication of a public-education system that hides behind multiculturalism rather than teaching culture. But this solid performance was an excellent way to dip one’s toe and enjoy the experience.

City Opera is blessed with a stable of energetic and attractive young people. This group tends to move seamlessly from production to production. Not to pick on the Metropolitan Opera while its leader is down, but its “Boheme” includes Vladimir Chernov, who is pushing 50, playing one of the quartet of young, aspiring artists – and he seems to be the most at home in the Met’s graying production.

All four of the men in Sunday’s “Boheme” at New York State Theater were highly entertaining. For one thing, the audience actually laughed quite a bit at their antics and jokes in Act I.For another, each was at least above-average in both vocalizing and thespianism. Marco Nistico as Schaunard was the best at the comedy, storming the imaginary battlements, while Joshua Winograde as Colline performed superbly in the “old coat”aria from the poignant final scene.

Grant Youngblood as a larger-thanlife Marcello combined a great sense of timing with a good deal of baritonial power. He more than held his own in the Act III quartet that grows organically out of the love duet and ends with Rodolfo and Mimi’s heartbreaking “Addio, dolce svegliare.”

Gerard Powers fit the role of Rodolfo perfectly. Although he made a rather blatant mistake very early on in “Che gelida manina,” he recovered quickly and put across this great number with aplomb. Sometimes he can be a bit strained, especially in his higher notes, but his ability to stay on pitch was impressive.

The star of the show was undeniably the Mimi of Kelly Kaduce.I went diving for my program after her “Mi chiamano Mimi” to see where she has been my whole life (apparently nowhere yet). She has an instrument that immediately set her a cut above the rest of the company, and she knows how to use it. Very secure in the use of tremolo, she caressed many of her notes sensually. The voice is a bit steadier in the lower range, and Mimi is not a role filled with stratospheric acrobatics, but for a first hearing, this was a splendid performance. Ms. Kaduce remained steady all the way through to “Te lo rammenti,” although she may have had a bit too strong a voice for a consumptive. Her acting? Well, it needs work.

As Musetta, Shannah Timms was a bit out of the ordinary. Her “Quando me’n vo’ soletta per la via,” the most recognizable tune from this score, was short on nostalgia but long on strength of character. Although I would have preferred a more delicate waltz, I was willing to accept her rendition as one of imperial power. After all, this number establishes her dominance in the world of the demimondaine.

The always-reliable City Opera orchestra played their hearts out in this score, which they do on a regular basis. I was very appreciative of conductor Steven White’s decision to let this music breathe. It was the undercurrent that made Musetta’s waltz (and its swelling reprise) so moving. Rather than treat this music like a cliche, Maestro White played it as if we were hearing it for the first time. And, truth be told, many in this particular crowd were doing just that.

“La Boheme” will be performed again on March 16, 18 & 24, and April 1, 6, 8, 14 & 23 at the New York State Theater (Lincoln Center, 212-870-5570).