Madama Butterfly on Sydney Harbour – REVIEW
Image: Diego Torre as Pinkerton and Karah Son as Cio-Cio-San in Opera Australia's 2023 production of Madama Butterfly on Sydney Harbour at Mrs Macquaries Point Photo Credit: Keith Saunders
In a genre filled with tragic, heart-rending plots, Madama Butterfly’s agonising tale of a young woman stripped of dignity, family and, ultimately, life, is among the most affecting. Arguably Puccini’s most loved, most performed opera, Madama Butterfly tells a story that is bigger than the cruel romance at its core; it tells a story of deception, misogyny, and imperialist capitalism that gives it timeless relevance.
This new production of Madama Butterfly on the Harbour is a revision of the 2014 production with some minor updates. What impresses you first as you enter the open-air theatre is the enormous green hill on stage. Covered in synthetic grass, it is steep and uneven and must be a nightmare for cast and insurers. However, it does immediately create atmosphere and set a tone. A copse of bamboo trees at the top of the hill allows is backlit for stunning entrances of various characters.
The set comes together as audiences enjoy their pre-show bubbly, with crane arms slowly swivelling from the harbour to the stage, and dozens of workers dressed in construction gear, scurrying about assembling various elements. This conspicuous preparation is not unusual for outdoor shows, but it seems more pronounced in this production.
The construction of the second act’s scenery during intermission is almost a show in itself. It would be an unwelcome distraction, denting the illusion of another world, if it was not an integral aspect of the story itself. Pinkerton in this modernised version of Madama Butterfly, is a construction mogul who not only ruins a young girl but her entire landscape.
Most of the design choices work and the full breadth of the vast stage is used to great effect. The large inflated moon, however, could use a re-think. It bobs around unconvincingly and the hiss of the air compressor during silent moments is less than ideal.
Likewise, cars and vans being driven across the front of the stage, and a small motorboat zipping around docking off to the side of the stage (transporting characters in both cases) are fun and inventive but draw attention to themselves as devices.
None of this detracts from the performance itself. Karah Son, first and foremost, is utterly stunning as Cio Cio San (Butterfly). She is convincing as the impetuous, naïve, young girl who becomes absorbed by a fantasy romance and holds on fast until the devastating moment of undeniability. Son’s voice is searing and her rendition of opera’s most coveted soprano aria, “Un bel di, vedremo” (“one fine day we’ll see”) is breathtaking.
Sian Sharp also evinces empathy as the loyal servant and friend, Suzuki. In this production, Suzuki is demure, reserved. (In some versions she has been depicted as feisty, with a subtle suggestion that her dedication to Cio Cio Son is more than mere servitude.)
Michael Honeyman is very powerful as Sharpless, the US Consul to Japan. He is a foil to the insipid Pinkerton; moral, sensitive, aware of the right thing to do and prepared to do it while Pinkerton cowers in self-pity.
Pinkerton is perhaps one of the least likeable male leads in any opera. Though he is not as violent or villainous as say Macbeth or Don Giovanni, his complete self-indulgence, self-pity, and callous behaviour renders him difficult to feel anything for but contempt. It’s a tricky role for tenor but Diego Torre takes it on with the full magnificence of his voice and no attempt to diminish the despicable character and gain some loving from the audience.
The second act of Madama Butterfly is a painful, heart-breaking spectacle of a young girl, like a butterfly, flitting hopefully in a hopeless situation. Before us, on this vast stage, is a statement of all that is bad in the world – an ugly, unfinished apartment block that has scarred a once beautiful, verdant hill; a woman who has been despoiled of youth, prospects, love, family for the vanity of a rich, American cad; the sundry people who are affected by the fallout.
