Puccini's Madam Butterfly, 2013 - Director Fraser Grant, White Rock Theatre
Friday 25th & Saturday 26th October - White Rock Theatre, Hastings
Madam Butterfly is one of the most popular operas ever composed, Madame Butterfly tells the tale of a teenage geisha trapped between the contrasting cultures of America and Japan, and ultimately rejected by both.
Married in a ceremony of convenience to an American naval officer, who then returns home without her to his native land, Cio Cio San sits and patiently waits for the 'One Fine Day' when he will come back to her. Yet, when he finally returns after three years, the ending is a tragic one!
This production by Opera South East brings the action forward to the 1920s when Japan was beginning to embrace western culture and yet its relationship with the States was heading towards one of its lowest points ever. Using a blend of western and traditional Japanese staging techniques, and taking its aesthetic from lacquer boxes, shoji screens and American city skylines, it promises to be both heartbreaking and beautiful.
Cio-Cio-San (Madame Butterfly) is played by Elizabeth Roberts, who was the soprano soloist at the lighting of the Cauldron in the Opening Ceremony of the London 2012 Olympic Games.
Madam Butterfly is one of the most popular operas ever composed, Madame Butterfly tells the tale of a teenage geisha trapped between the contrasting cultures of America and Japan, and ultimately rejected by both.
Married in a ceremony of convenience to an American naval officer, who then returns home without her to his native land, Cio Cio San sits and patiently waits for the 'One Fine Day' when he will come back to her. Yet, when he finally returns after three years, the ending is a tragic one!
This production by Opera South East brings the action forward to the 1920s when Japan was beginning to embrace western culture and yet its relationship with the States was heading towards one of its lowest points ever. Using a blend of western and traditional Japanese staging techniques, and taking its aesthetic from lacquer boxes, shoji screens and American city skylines, it promises to be both heartbreaking and beautiful.
Cio-Cio-San (Madame Butterfly) is played by Elizabeth Roberts, who was the soprano soloist at the lighting of the Cauldron in the Opening Ceremony of the London 2012 Olympic Games.
Cast
|
Cio-Cio-San, Madame Butterfly
Suzuki, her servant Kate Pinkerton, Pinkerton's Americal Wife B F Pinkerton, Lieutenant in US Navy Sharpless, US Consul at Nagasaki Goro, a marriage broker Prince Yamadori, a rich Japanese The Bonze, Cio-Cio-San's uncle The Imperial Commissioner The Official Registrar |
Elizabeth Roberts
Karen McInally Lesley Moore James Heath Peter Grevatt Jeremy Vinogradov Hiroshi Kanazawa Toby Sims John Rycroft Neil Bannock |
Sorrow, Cio-Cio-San's child Yakuside, Cio-Cio-San's uncle Cio-Cio-San's mother Cio-Cio-San's cousin Cio-Cio-San's aunt Cio-Cio-San's relations and friends; servants Director Musical Director Costume Design |
George Edwards Gerald Hewson Julia Bovee Natasha Dalloway Sandra Lambourne Chorus Fraser Grant Kenneth Roberts Julia Bovee |
Family Arts Festival
Opera South East participatid in the first-ever nationwide Family Arts Festival aimed at encouraging families to the arts - 6pm on Saturday, 26th October before the first performance for an introduction to Madame Butterfly. It was free to ticket-holders for that evening’s performance of Madame Butterfly and to anyone who attended on Friday on production of their ticket.
Reviews
Lark Review: http://www.larkreviews.co.uk/?p=1328
....Pinkerton can too readily be seen as a brash cad, but James Heath creates a far more complex personality. In act one his naivety seems closer to Albert Herring than to Don Jose, and the underlying eroticism was helped by Elizabeth Roberts all too willing Butterfly. Her appearance in a western wedding veil was immediately telling, and the arrival of the Bonze (strongly characterised by Toby Sims) who rips the veil from her, highlighted the dichotomy for a society in transition.
Trying to bridge the disparate elements, Peter Grevatt’s Sharpless was a master of tact, but, in the superbly handled letter scene in act two, proved to be out of his depth. There is nothing he can do to prevent the inevitable tragic conclusion, though he spent most of act one warning the love-sick Pinkerton that no good would come of it.
Like Juliet’s nurse, Karen McInally’s Suzuki starts the evening in a warmly comfortable position, hopeful that all will be for the best, but gradually slips into despair. It was noteworthy that her singing became stronger as the evening progressed and she was forced by circumstance to make more and more decisions for Butterfly, who has now lost her grip on life...
Hastings Online: http://hastingsonlinetimes.co.uk/arts-culture/music-sound/opera-south-east-paints-town-red
With its dramatic plot and thrilling score, Carmen is probably the most popular opera in the world, but director Fraser Grant brings a fresh approach and perhaps a more feminist realization to this production...
....Pinkerton can too readily be seen as a brash cad, but James Heath creates a far more complex personality. In act one his naivety seems closer to Albert Herring than to Don Jose, and the underlying eroticism was helped by Elizabeth Roberts all too willing Butterfly. Her appearance in a western wedding veil was immediately telling, and the arrival of the Bonze (strongly characterised by Toby Sims) who rips the veil from her, highlighted the dichotomy for a society in transition.
Trying to bridge the disparate elements, Peter Grevatt’s Sharpless was a master of tact, but, in the superbly handled letter scene in act two, proved to be out of his depth. There is nothing he can do to prevent the inevitable tragic conclusion, though he spent most of act one warning the love-sick Pinkerton that no good would come of it.
Like Juliet’s nurse, Karen McInally’s Suzuki starts the evening in a warmly comfortable position, hopeful that all will be for the best, but gradually slips into despair. It was noteworthy that her singing became stronger as the evening progressed and she was forced by circumstance to make more and more decisions for Butterfly, who has now lost her grip on life...
Hastings Online: http://hastingsonlinetimes.co.uk/arts-culture/music-sound/opera-south-east-paints-town-red
With its dramatic plot and thrilling score, Carmen is probably the most popular opera in the world, but director Fraser Grant brings a fresh approach and perhaps a more feminist realization to this production...
NODA
A summary version of the review by the National Operatic and Dramatic Association is here:
https://www.noda.org.uk/events/reports/madame_butterfly
... A first class performance, with a big box of tissues a must.
https://www.noda.org.uk/events/reports/madame_butterfly
... A first class performance, with a big box of tissues a must.