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Aratani Theatre
Japanese American Cultural Center
Little Tokyo, Los Angeles, CA
April 2020

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In Japanese and English, the co-production "Madama Butterfly" recreated startlingly the sights and sounds of Meiji Japan about 120 years ago, which was produced by Pacific Opera Project (POP) and Houston's Opera in the Heights.

Artistic Director Josh Shaw and Principal Conductor Eiki Isomura refreshed all the lines and rhymes.  When the tenor Pinkerton sings "then I'll let her fly!" and the baritone Sharpless sings"you'll kill this Butterfly"(Act one 24'40") , every syllable fits together in rhymes. So wonderful it is ! Absolutely the characters perform more naturally  in mother tongue. Puccini gave each character a musical motive from his or her folk music. Now the individual motive matches singing in native language. It sounds more harmonious.

The dazzling and colorful costumes are the most eye-catching. On the stage, the delicate house and other props present Meiji style sceneries in Nagasaki. It's so persuasive that is a true-to-life story. I thought that singing  opera in English is as terrible as a cold pizza without cheese. But the artists' efforts changed my mind. When the "Humming chorus " sounding at the end of Act two, the beautiful Cio-Cio San is gradually being shadowed like a statue in the dark night. The aesthetic feelings from traditional oriental culture touch me dearly. That so beautiful Nagasaki was destroyed by one atom bomb is extremely regrettable.

I hate the wars which always bring us tragedies. Puccini's opera story has never been my cup of tea because of the controversial issues about cultural stereotyping. POP's version rebalanced the eastern-western difference. When the lovers speak in different languages, audiences know well that they misunderstand each other. The young geisha Cio-Cio San, like young Narcissus, loves her imagination but the truth of life. When one is in love, one always begins by misunderstanding. Love is an illusion that people passionately want to believe.

As Wilde said, common sense is the enemy of romance. I'd like to immerse into POP's Madama Butterfly and to leave any opera's story behind.

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There are so many readings and revivals of the same old love story of an American naval officer and a Japanese geisha that deserves attention. In my opinion, one of the best operas was performed at Aratani Theatre in the Japanese American Cultural Center in Little Tokyo, Los Angeles, CA in April 2020. The great point of this opera is that all American characters were sung in English, all Japanese - in the Japanese language.

In Act 1 we see the valorous American officer Pinkerton, all in white parade uniform, getting excited about new life in Japan and all the pleasures that come with it. He rents the house in Nagasaki harbor with wife - 15 years old Japanese woman named Madame Butterfly.

In his Aria when he interacts with the American council, his voice sounds strong, joyous, and ready for what is ahead. He sings about the impeccable beauty of a young girl, how he admires her physical appearance and gentle manners. Does it sound like pure love or just a fling? Even though the council warns him that the wedding and seriousness of it might be very different for Madame, officer Pinkerton looks caught up with happy excitement and neglects the reality of the situation.

When the officer and Madame Butterfly finally meet, the words of admiration for each other just flow out of them like a river. Their songs are full of beautiful metaphors. He compares her with the goddess of Moon, and she thinks of him as a strong and fascinating man, for which she rejects her ancestral religion and is being denounced by her own family. They unite in love and happiness at the moment.
And then three years of expectations, incredible faith and loyalty, beautiful love and hope for someone who never cared in the first place. The husband abandons the wife, the son is taken away, no strings attached with family, and she ends her life in a great sorrow. So heartbreaking!
"Cry me a river!"

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Age and cultural differences, two individuals in a nonidentical environment. Is their love real? How is it possible to love someone to see for the first time? Lieutenant and 15 years old geisha? Is this relationship right? Or is it a juvenile crime? Oh, I see a love story that happened in 1904. And that time the relationship with the kid was okay. My grandmother and grandfather got married when they were 14 and 15 years old. Both examples are terrible. In developed countries, human rights protection still needs to improve. Unfortunately for some developing countries societies, early marriage is real and huge problem ⚠️

Because of the content, I got upset but the opera is brilliant. I love costumes and decorations. Love how the author uses metaphors to describe love and feelings.

Love, betrayal, loyalty - Madama Butterfly’s life. She loved hard, all her soul and body. She was young, full of life and emotions. I'm thinking about her and asking myself if true love exists? If yes, with a lot of pain and torture. When you love somebody, you are ready to die for them, give them everything that you have or not. Love is sacrifice! Patient! You don't belong to yourself anymore. You are captive of feelings which can be described with words! You are blind! May you think, but can not make right decisions.

Love is poison and enemy! It was for a young lady, who had dreams, who believed.  She is brave. Her soldier boyfriend is a coward and liar.

Some dreams never come true. Everything has a reason. Sometimes nobody can explain what exactly. But being faithful is metter.

May you listen to the USA anthem during the aria? I thought why and how did Puccini use it at that time? The song was known as the anthem of the US Navy. Adopted by the navy in 1889, it only became the official national anthem by a congressional act signed by President Herbert Hoover in March 1931. Lieutenant Pinkerton’s aria ‘Dovunque al mondo’ takes its first two bars directly from the anthem, whereas ‘O say, can you see…’ is used in later arias by both Pinkerton and Butterfly herself.

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Full of drama. Full-bodied and strong songs mixed with a really good orchestra. The male characters particularly are really well in the first scene, and we could see how proud the American naval officer Pinkerton is singing about it and love. The maid Suzuki has a beautifully vibrant voice, and the blending of her voice with Butterfly's in their duets was particularly memorable. Butterfly melts the hearts with her native charm and optimism.
We see, in the course of this opera, something very current: abandonment, betrayal, and lack of respect for others. It is very sad to watch a woman struggle to keep herself with hope but in the end, take her own life because she was deceived and humiliated. Both the songs of hope and the despair of knowing the truth of the situation invade our hearts and we can feel all these feelings.

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What happened with the emotions in music?

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What happened with the emotions in music?

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I have never been into the opera. This is my first time watching the complete opera Madame Butterfly, three hours that use emotions as a driver. The opera blends drama, music, and emotions to attract the audience for several hours.

During these three hours, I had feelings of surprise, anger, compassion, sadness that took my attention in every act, and songs (mainly Un Bel Di), and always I wanted to know what follows. I searched for the lyrics to understand well what happens in every act. I highly recommend searching for the song lyrics and reading about the acts before attending an opera.

I want to compare this opera with the song Bohemian Rhapsody by the rock group Queen. The first time I heard it, I did not understand the lyrics because of my lack of English knowledge. However, during the six minutes, I understood and enjoyed the trip of emotions that the song transmits. The feelings of tension and release in every part are comparable with the three acts of Madame Butterfly.

Definitely, Queen and the Madame Butterfly composers are geniuses, being the question of why today's music left this trip of feelings outside?. Maybe this is the reason that people love the classics of every gender.