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Nicole Bournas-Ney Nicole Bournas-Ney's Review of Madama Butterfly at New York City Opera Madama Butterfly, Pucciniâs masterpiece, was beautifully rendered in its latest reincarnation at the NYC Opera at the NY State Theater. All of the leads -- the matchmaker, Butterfly (in her NYC Opera debut), B.F. Pinkerton and Suzuki (Butterflyâs loyal maid) had wonderful voices. The set was simple. It consisted of merely two blank Japanese screens. The space between the two screens, which took up most of the stage, was Butterflyâs home where the entire opera takes place. This space, occupied mostly by a stage-long staircase, did the trick; it was bare, but the power of the opera made up for that. Plus, the simplicity strengthened the scene when Butterfly puts a white cover out on the stairs and strews pink petals all over the bare stage in anticipation of Pinkertonâs return to Nagasaki. I often find that when I watch operas, the performance doesn't fully capture my attention throughout. Madama Butterfly turned out to be an exception. I found myself drawn to the singing and the music at every single moment; in fact, the musical themes are still in my head. Maybe it is the gut-wrenching story or Pucciniâs beautiful score, but all I know is that almost anyone could get enveloped in this beautiful, sad opera. Madama Butterfly was written forty- five years before the end of World War II, yet when you watch it, the fact that it is set in Nagasaki gives the work another dimension of melancholy and tragedy. As you watch the story unfold, you can't help but think of the time, almost half a century later, when the entire city of Nagasaki would be destroyed by an atomic bomb. It makes you see the entire setting as one that is predestined to be the stage for sorrow. |
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