 Oksana Dyka as Cio-Cio-San in Opera Queensland's production of Madama Butterfly
A
girl is purchased for marriage at 15 years old; a man disregards his
marital vows, as his wife is not of the ‘right’ race; and she takes her
own life in shame. Alternatively, a young woman is wooed
and caressed into a passionate marriage; a man, bound by duty to his
country, is torn away from his one true love; and the woman cannot bear
to live a moment longer without him. Whichever way you look at it, Madama Butterfly is a beautiful stage show. While
its morals and plot loop-holes are questionable, perhaps even clichéd,
the artistry of the performers and the tragedy of the tale are radiant. Madama
Butterfly, performed by Opera Queensland with The Queensland Orchestra,
and originally written by Giacomo Puccini, is an opera of epic quality. One
of the most frequently performed operas around the world, Madama
Butterfly tells the tale of the sweet young Geisha, Cio-Cio-San (Madame
Butterfly) who marries Lieutenant B F Pinkerton, when his US Naval ship
is in port. (Historical correctness is not one of the opera’s strongpoints, but we will look past this.) The
marriage takes place in Act I, while Act II sees the family three years
later, when Madame Butterfly is desperately waiting for her beloved to
return to Japan from America. His arrival is marred by
the discovery of his new marriage to a ‘real American wife’, and
Cio-Cio-San is so broken and distraught she gives her son to Pinkerton
and his new wife and then takes her own life. Slightly melodramatic, but then, this is opera.
Puccini’s score is captivating. Even
those who are not normally accustomed to classical music can understand
the passion and the fire of the librettos without needing to read the
surtitles. This otherworldly clarity, which breaks down
language barriers and reforms new connections with the audience, is not
only due to the intensity of the music, but also to the skill of the
performers themselves.
Oksana Dyka premiered as Cio-Cio-San for her first time, and yet received a standing ovation on opening night. If
this does not speak for her captivating performance alone, then surely
her compelling voice, innocent grace and flowing beauty add testament
to her power as a performer. Jerry Hadley as B F Pinkerton is both smarmy and humble, and he creates the perfect Pinkerton persona that the audience loves to hate. John Bolton Wood as Sharpless,
the US Consul, is like a compassionate grandfather, a persona surely
derived from his many long and successful years on the stage. Christopher
Dawes, Jacqueline Dark, David Hibbard and Jason Barry-Smith all give
memorable performances, but perhaps one of the most memorable
performances of the night was given by Cio-Cio-San’s Child, a beautiful
little boy who stole the hearts of everyone in the room just by
running/toddling across the stage.
The set design was brave. Russel
Cohen and Peter England created a floating pontoon that literally was
surrounded on three sides of the stage by about six inches of water. Downstage,
and sidestages, rather than wings, the designers placed moving Japanese
walls, which could be staggered at different heights throughout the
production. These fake walls were about eight feet high, and then stretching high above them into the rafters was the same grey wall. It
created an interesting effect, that confined the action to the ground
level of the stage, thus oppressing the eye’s ability to wander. While it may have said something of the oppression Cio-Cio-San
was experiencing, confined to her own home, I could not help but feel
that there was an enormous amount of space above the performers
themselves that was not being used. This was somewhat
relieved by the ‘starry night’ effect that the grey walls could become
when the lights were dimmed, but they still remained quite a dominant
force in the production.
I was engrossed by the merging of set and movement in the opera. The
chorus during the wedding scene largely moved in angular,
stereotypically martial arts positions. These positions change at
different movements in the music and create almost a moving painting
that occurred around the main action. Additionally, by
clever direction, Moffatt Oxenbould and Matthew Barclay include what
appears to be both a pure movement chorus and a clever utilization of
stagehands. These white bandaged, ninja looking ethereal
beings would place themselves wherever a new prop or costume was needed
on stage, serve their purpose silently, and then almost walk on
(through) water off stage. The same white beings were used in the surreal waiting sequence in which Madame Butterfly waits for Pinkerton to arrive at the house. Very pretty, and an easy way of getting props on and offstage, but apart from that they didn’t have much other point.
Madama Butterfly is a classy, well-crafted, beautiful performance from start to finish. From the original modern eccentricities like the silent white beings, to the classic librettos and heart rendering duets, Madama Butterfly proves Opera Queensland’s ability to create impressive theatre.
Opera Queensland presents
Madama Butterfly
by Giacomo Puccini
Venue: Lyric Theatre | Queensland Performing Arts Centre
Dates: 19 May to 2 June, 2007
Evening performances: 19, 22, 24 (sunset), 26 & 31 May & 2 June (matinee)
30 Below (formerly Young Access) performances: 31 May at 7.30pm & 24 May at 6.30pm
Bookings: Qtix 136 246 or online www.qtix.com.au
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