Baz Luhrmann Returns To Roots

Baz Luhrmann, the 40-year-old Australian director of films such as "Strictly Ballroom," "Romeo & Juliet," and "Moulin Rouge," has wowed audiences and critics alike.

Now, he returns to his operatic roots with his Broadway production of Giacomo Puccini's classic ode to starving artists, "La Boheme."

Luhrmann visited The Early Show to discuss the Broadway production.

"La Boheme" tells of the doomed love affair between the seamstress Mimi and the writer Rodolfo, set against the world of Bohemian Paris. The new Broadway production of "La Boheme," set in 1957, is sung in the original Italian with English subtitles.

Between incarnations of the stage version of his "Strictly Ballroom," Luhrmann created an earlier versions of Puccini's "La Boheme" for The Australian Opera. It was a huge commercial and artistic success. "La Boheme" was awarded a MO Award for Operatic Performance of the Year and has since been broadcast throughout the world.

Some Facts About Baz Luhrmann

• Luhrmann grew up in a small timber town in Northern NSW, Australia before attending the National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA) in Sydney, Australia
• At NIDA, he played opposite Judy Davis in the Australian feature film "Winter of Our Dreams"
• Luhrmann conceived, staged and directed "Strictly Ballroom," a project that originated as a 30-minute play that evolved over the course of his career
• Luhrmann has collaborated with designer Catherine Martin (his wife) in all of his film, theatre and opera work since 1997.
• In 1992, Luhrmann brought "Strictly Ballroom" to the screen, marking his hugely successful debut as a film director. The film premiered at the Cannes Film Festival (where it won the Prix de la Jeunesse and a special mention for the Camera D'or)
• In 1993, Luhrmann staged his Hindi interpretation of Benjamin Britten's operatic version of "A Midsummer Night's Dream" for the Australian Opera.
• In 1996, Luhrmann developed, co-wrote, produced and directed "William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet" starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes.
• Luhrmann directed, written and produced the motion picture "Moulin Rouge" starring Nicole Kidman and Ewan McGregor in 2001.