Acclaimed singer, voice teacher, and stage director Andrea DelGiudice, is set to direct the upcoming Light Opera of New Jersey run of “La Bohème,” slated to run March 19-20 and 25-27, 2022. Her career transformation happened in 2017 when she got dared to direct “La Traviata.”

“I thought, well, if I’m going to direct, if I’m going to think about this at all, I have to do something important; I have to uncover the real story, the real history underneath it. The victim thing is tired, so I wanted to investigate and bring out who the woman was at the helm of the story.”

In her take on Verdi’s tragedy, DelGiudice dove into the source material, Alexandre Dumas’ “La Dame aux Camélias,” and found the real Violetta.

“In my ‘Traviata,’ Violetta is Marguerite Gautier, which is the real truth. There were all kinds of things about this woman that he wrote in the story that I thought; why didn’t they tell the story this way? It’s more interesting.

“Gratefully, it was very successful, and women came up to me and said, ‘Oh, my God! Thank you so much for really talking about the female character.’”

DelGiudice likes to re-conceptualize classic operas. Besides “Traviata,” and now “Bohème,” she rethought Bizet’s “Carmen,” setting it in the world of drug cartels, and has created a prequel to Puccini’s “Suor Angelica,” entitled “Pietà,” with composer Jake Landau.

A Focus on the Homeless

DelGiudice’s entire modus operandi is to tell authentic stories, and her “Bohème” is no different. She looked for an angle that uniquely told Mimì’s story—modernized, authentic, and reflective of life in New York City, where she has lived for 30 years. It was her extensive experience working with the homeless that inspired her to take Puccini’s tragedy in a new direction—one that’s timely. Sadly, as of this writing, five homeless men were shot in New York and Washington. Two died. This is just one of the awful dangers faced by those we encounter on the streets, parks, or in transit stations every day in cities large and small.

“I watched what was going on with the homeless. I watched [Mayor] DeBlasio put people in a hotel and throw them onto the street with nowhere to go. The Upper West Side was fighting because they didn’t want them in our neighborhoods,” DelGiudice said as we spoke via Zoom. As we talked, she revealed a deep connection to the homeless community. A significant impetus for her re-conceptualization of “Bohème,” grew from watching a family member struggle with homelessness. Her empathy and compassion come from a deeply personal place. With “Bohème,” she gives the community a voice, literally and figuratively.

“When I first moved to New York in my 20s, I was modeling and doing different things while I did this sport called opera. I was getting the N Train to Bloomingdale’s every day, and I’d see the same guy at the bottom of the stairs at 48th Street. He was homeless, and we became friends.”

Her conversations with the man frequently caused her to be late for work because she was so interested in his life. But then, one day, he was gone.

“I was petrified and just mortified. He was there again about a week later, and I said, ‘Oh, my God; I’m so glad you’re here!’

“He was wearing a suit. ‘What’s going on?’ I said. And he replied, ‘You know, it’s been months since we’ve known each other, and every time we talked, you brought me different experiences.’ He said that I let him know that there were possibilities.”

What happened next was a delightful surprise.

“He had gotten a job and said, ‘I want to take you out to dinner with my first check.’

“So, we went to Burger King; it was great! I’ll never forget that, and since then, I try with all my might to never pass a homeless person without acknowledging they are there,” she revealed.

“I worked in the food pantry during COVID. I was there every Tuesday and Saturday. The line wrapped around three city blocks. You couldn’t tell where one person came from or not. Everyone needed help. The homeless people living in the hotel on that block would come at the end of the day, and they would wait and see what was left. As I got to know them, I would take carts, put them aside, and put some of the chicken and other stuff. They got to know me, and they’d come back.

“I’m not saying I’m a hero; I’m just saying I wanted ‘La Bohème’ to bring the message we are all the same. We’re all the same. It just seemed a story that I needed to tell. With directing, I believe I need to bring voices to people who don’t have voices. That’s been the basis for every opera I’ve done, and ‘Bohème’ is particularly close to my heart.”

Besides the homeless, DelGiudice considered immigrants vital to her reimagining of the opera.

“Here we have an urban city, and we have communities, small communities all around New York City. What does it mean for immigrants to come to New York City and try to make it in the arts? In terms of ‘Bohème,’ I made the guys who live together immigrants,” she noted. “Colline works at Starbucks, Schaunard works at a doggie daycare, Marcello is a guard at a museum and, after hours, goes to Washington Square Park and does caricatures during the day. It’s all very much the life that I’ve seen here—real people and actual stories, so I thought, who is Mimì?”

Life in the Tunnels

As with “Traviata,” DelGiudice did an extensive amount of research, interviewing people in New York, and focusing on homeless women.

“It’s a different thing for homeless women than men. What does that mean? They often have to surround themselves in environments where there are men around them, or they couple with men for safety. I concentrate on the communities where they’re living in the tunnels, where they power electricity and heat through a car battery.”

Those familiar with the opera can recall the way Mimì meets Rodolfo; her candle has gone out, and when she asks Rodolfo to relight it for her, the two fall instantly in love. In DelGiudice’s telling, it’s not a candle Mimì needs lighting; instead, her flashlight has broken, and she asks for Rodolfo’s help in fixing it. DelGiudice also reconsidered how Mimì spends her time, and instead of her being a seamstress, she makes crafts.

Though DelGiudice adjusted the libretto (all Light Opera of New Jersey’s productions are staged in English), at no point was the music altered. However, she incorporates dance as part of Musetta’s character.

“I was very fortunate to find an Associate Director/Choreographer, Valeria Cossu, who does a dance form called body percussion. She was part of a company called Mayumana, which is out of Spain. Mayumana and Stomp! are kind of similar in terms of style.

“I said, ‘Valeria, what if Musetta is an immigrant who becomes a dancer, and she wants to make it on Broadway?’ She said, ‘Fantastic!’

“I have a marvelous conductor, Jason C. Tramm, who said, ‘Sure, why not?’

So, in the middle of Act two, we break the music, stop, and Musetta enters Washington Square Park with Alcindoro, her mafia boyfriend. To get Marcelo’s attention, she does a three-minute show of body percussion with Schaunard using a bucket for a drum. It’s so fun. These days, we better engage young people so that this art form can continue.”

Christmas Crackdown

DelGiudice creates a startling juxtaposition as she incorporates a police crackdown on the homeless during a season that’s supposed to be full of goodwill. Yet, in her staging, New York authorities serve up the opposite.

“At the end of Act two, which is set during the Washington Square Park Christmas Fair, I do a protest against homelessness.

“I work with a videographer on all my productions, a 27-year-old genius who reads my mind. I have video footage of the police arresting the homeless and interviews. I expose De Blasio for what he did without even saying it. The audience witnesses all this going on while you see him eating a hamburger.

“I’m not necessarily political, but I watched, and I’ve been involved in what he didn’t take care of and what people are suffering. I must tell the truth if I’m going to do this. It’s a New York story, but it could occur in any city.”