An elegant and emotional Butterfly

Madam Butterfly by Giacomo Puccini

Director Kate Cherry
NZ Opera
ASB Theatre, Aotea Centre, Auckland
Until April 28

Then
St James Theatre, Wellington
May 11-18

New Zealand Opera's production of Madam Butterfly is a triumph of singing, acting and design which is captivating in its elegance and emotional power.

It is not just in the top 10 of the all-time favourite operas, it’s probably in the top three. Even so, it has not been fully staged for several years in New Zealand apart from a great concert version performed by the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra four years ago.

The story of Madam Butterfly takes place in Japan and follows the fate of Butterfly, who is sold into marriage to US Navy Lieutenant Pinkerton, who considers the marriage to be a temporary affair, not realising that Butterfly is deeply in love and has rejected her family and social dictates to be his wife.

She bears him a son and waits for him for three years, only to be devastated when he returns with his American wife and commits suicide.

Unlike many operas of the day, it was given a contemporary setting and was a comment on contemporary issues of culture, woman’s rights and cultural imperialism. So it is a not just a story of blighted love and human interaction, it also has political and social themes which were relevant then and are still relevant today.

One thread of the opera is that of the spread of US domination and the way in which the country embarks on foreign adventures without understanding the consequences of actions.

What the opera delivers is a deeply tragic story in which all the participants except Butterfly are aware of the final outcome, and we watch and endure her false happiness and growing realisation of her fate.

Central to the opera is the unease that runs through it and which is made obvious through the roles of the American consul (sung by Peter Savidge) and Suzuki (Lucy Schaufer). These two characters act as a mini traditional chorus of Fates and their singing and demeanor are comments and reflections on Butterfly.

Peter Savidge's initially stiff, official voice takes on a more desolate tone as he has to bring news of Pinkerton to Butterfly. It is a voice which evokes personal anguish, which he also conveys through his posture and acting.

Lucy Schaufer creates a vibrant, intense Suzuki who seems to constantly endure the knowledge of Butterfly’s predicament. She gives the role realism and freshness with a voice full of restrained emotion.

James Rodgers' Goro was an effective foil to Suzuki, with some fine comic acting. Richard Green as The Bonze brings a dignity and fearsomeness to the part, giving his curse on Butterfly a real sense of foreboding.

Pinkerton, sung by Piero Pretti, is a superbly crafted bastard, even attracting a few boos among the applause at the end of the performance. His pragmatism about the 999-year contracts for the house and marriage, with monthly termination clauses, is echoed in his slightly arrogant voice.

However, he is also able to produce some emotionally charged singing when needed – as the love duet shows.

Antoinette Halloran is a refined and astute Butterfly with a voice soaked in tenderness and anguish. With her singing of One Fine Day she produces a perfect jewel of ecstatic beauty combining naive childlike simplicity with mature suffering, her face iridescent with feeling.

The set is wonderfully simple. One small room composed of sliding panels, which can be open and expansive or closed and secretive. It provides a black and white environment which is occasionally transformed by the appearance of an intensely colourful garden backdrop or, as in the final scene, suffused with blood red light.

There are a couple of quibbles but they are really the fault of the composer or librettist. Butterfly is supposed to be 15 when she marries Pinkerton.

This may have been intended to shock audiences of the time or convey the idea of strange Oriental morality, and it may even accord with contemporary practice, but it jars. The line should be left out.

What also jars is to have a performer around twice that age singing and acting in a very mature way.

The other thing which needs to be taken out is the musical interlude where Butterfly waits up all night. There is no singing, no action. It is supposed to be a time of reflection but it’s just a bit tedious, even though it is beautifully played by the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra.

Director Kate Cherry has put together a finely detailed and nuanced production in which singing and acting is perfectly choreographed and the set provides an exquisite physical and symbolic environment for the cast.