Teresa Eickel

Twenty years ago, Boheme Opera New Jersey opened its first main stage curtain on Verdi’s endearing La Traviata, introducing the legendary courtesan Violetta.  You may have seen Julia Roberts shed tears for Violetta in the film Pretty Woman when Richard Gere takes her to experience opera for the first time.  For Boheme, that is the core of its mission – to perform and teach an extraordinary art form, to touch people’s souls, and to change the lingering perception that opera is inaccessible to the mainstream public. Throughout the years, Boheme audiences have reveled in acclaimed portrayals of some of opera’s most relevant female characters, including artful Tosca (Tosca), sickly Mimi (La Boheme), fickle Carmen (Carmen), demented Lucia (Lucia di Lammermoor), naïve Gilda (Rigoletto), neglected Santuzza (Cavalleria Rusticana), the self-centered Turandot (Turandot) and devoted Aida (Aida), among others.  These are women – and in some cases young girls – who truly demonstrate tenacity, sacrifice, courage and strength in their roles.  Through their spirits, composers have created some of the great masterpieces of the opera genre.

Boheme is like one of those characters, a grass-roots company that has worked tirelessly in the Mercer Region to reinvent its art form, making it accessible and affordable to thousands of people diverse in age and ethnicity. The company has performed in essentially four different venues during its early and adolescent life.  It began its main stage seasons in Trenton Central High School, moving briefly to the old War Memorial Theater. Then, during the War Memorial’s renovation, it performed in Villa Victoria’s Theater in West Trenton.  Finally, in 1999, Boheme settled into the pristine restored War Memorial Theater, renamed Patriots Theater, and has since remained there as a resident company.  

Celebrating its milestone 20th anniversary in 2009, Boheme will bring to life one of opera’s most beloved yet pitied leading ladies – in fact, Puccini’s personal favorite of all his heroines – sweet Cio-Cio-San, alias Madame Butterfly.  She is the epitome of the Japanese geisha, raised with tradition and grace, but also carrying secrets of family past.  We learn amazing things from Puccini’s adaptation of John Luther Long’s short story and David Belasco’s play about this very young geisha who is wed to a United States naval officer and then forsaken by him for a bride from his own country.  She will take you through a range of emotions as she falls in love and rediscovers life in all its glory and tragedy.

Join us for a new production of this beautiful tale of tenacity, sacrifice, courage and strength as Boheme Opera New Jersey presents Giacomo Puccini’s Madame Butterfly on April 17 & 19, 2009 in Trenton’s stunning Patriots Theater, in the heart of the Capital District. Pre-Curtain Talks and Projected English Supertitles will guide you expertly through the Italian language. For tickets and information, call Boheme’s Box Office at (609) 581-7200.  Visa, MasterCard, American Express and Discover accepted.