According to Opera America, Madama Butterfly by Giacomo Puccini is the most-performed opera in the U.S. (Puccini also grabs the #2 spot with La Bohème). It is easy to see why—it has an incredible score and provides a soprano with the opportunity to really shine. However, the plot is so uncomfortable (a callous American officer “marries” and abandons a 15-year-old Japanese girl) that I have mixed feelings about it. Watching San Francisco Opera’s latest production on Veterans Day did not help matters.
It also did not help that I really did not like many of the production choices, particularly the set: a rotating Japanese house, turned periodically by what I could only describe as ninja assassins. For such a quietly dramatic piece, the rotation was very distracting. The turners remained on stage throughout and were generally unobtrusive, as one would expect from a ninja, but they occasionally interacted with the players, which threw me out of the story completely.
Also, throwing me out of the story? The moment when Butterfly is sitting vigil for Pinkerton to return, with the unmistakable (to me) strains of “Bring Him Home” from Les Misérables by Claude-Michel Schönberg and Alain Boublil playing in the background. Given that the plot of Schönberg and Boublil’s Miss Saigon is essentially Madame Butterfly shifted to Vietnam, that can’t be a coincidence. (Although obviously not Puccini's fault.)
Despite my complaints, I was pleasantly surprised by this production, mostly because I had read a number of negative reviews when it opened. Apparently, there were two casts for this production and we saw the second. A good thing I guess, because I felt that all the main players sang well and gave a strong performance. It was a good close to our subscription for the season.
I’m sorry the season is over, but I’m really glad I decided to do this and look forward to next year.
And now the awards!
Production I would most readily see again: Le Nozze di Figaro
Favorite scene: “Gloria all’Egitto” aka The Triumphal March from Aida
Outstanding lead performance (male): Plácido Domingo as Cyrano
Outstanding lead performance (female): Ainhoa Arteta as Roxane
Outstanding supporting performance: Daveda Karanas as Suzuki
Best set design: Cyrano de Bergerac
Outstanding lead performance (female): Ainhoa Arteta as Roxane
Outstanding supporting performance: Daveda Karanas as Suzuki
Best set design: Cyrano de Bergerac
Best costumes: Aida
Best ninjas: Madama Butterfly
3 comments:
You need to go to "Makropulos." It's only two hours long, and standing room is $10 and the place is empty. It's simply one of the best productions they've done here in a long time.
From what I've read, I'm sorry we didn't get those as part of our series. Unfortunately, I could only do SRO if they have it on the closing night.
Dear Sylvie: The San Francisco Opera has Standing Room for every performance, 200 tickets for each show. You can stand at the back of the orchestra section or at the back of the top balcony. The latter location is going to have "OperaVision" screens for the last three performances, which can be a real help for closeups, and the sound is awesome up there. I'd be standing for all of them but I'll be out of town. By the way, there was hardly anybody there on Wednesday's opening night except the cool kids like the Opera Tattler. You should try checking it out.
Post a Comment