All operas require suspension of belief and frequently this includes the age of the singers portraying young lovers. In Puccini’s evergreen Japanese tale this is made particularly ridiculous when we are told our tragic Butterfly is 15 but the vocal demands are such that only an experiences soprano can take the role and certainly not a young teenager.
In this latest revival of Joachim Herz 1978 production the role is taken by Cheryl Barker who gives us a strong, passionate performance that rests on her ability to take Puccini’s music and squeeze out every ounce of emotion. Vocally it is not necessarily always the most beautiful of Butterflys but it never fails to deliver when it counts. Her Pinkerton is Gwyn Hughes Jones who sings with a total security and confidence in a role that must appear on his CV with great regularity.
Speaking on which, this production is now 35 years old but shows no sign of losing its lustre. The set and costumes are all in sepia tones as the inspiration for the look is old photos. The young Cio-Cio-San (Madam Butterfly) is just another photograph, a memento collected by Pinkerton as he sails the world snapping away with his camera. So from the moment a spotlight opens from a dot to a large circle, the aperture of the camera opening, we are introduced to this over-riding visual theme.
Straight away Lieutenant Benjamin Franklin Pinkerton is clicking away at his camera as he examines the flimsy paper walled house he has rented as his love nest. Butterfly is a temporary plaything while he is in Nagasaki, a sexual dalliance in what he regards as a curious land filled with ridiculous people and disgusting food.
I am sure some audience members are disappointed that this is not a multi coloured Japanese geisha extravaganza but the drab show where the men and women appear as a motley crew wearing mixtures of Japanese and Western clothes. Pinkerton is the arch baddie but the Japanese are no angels either whether that is Philip Lloyd Holtram’s seedy marriage broker or the relatives who are keen to enjoy the material goodies the unclean Westerners bring.
In this revival, directed by Caroline Chaney, the only real saint is Cio-Cio-San's servant Suzuki, gorgeously sung by Claire Bradshaw while the Consul Sharpless of Alan Opie is also portrayed sympathetically. But he is an American and a man so even he takes sneak glances at the photos of available temporary brides offered by the marriage broker.
This is another good revival of this intelligent production that is full of nice moments such as Butterfly severing her jugular in the spot where Pinkerton first her. I must confess I shed a tear during Butterfly’s farewell to her son.
The chorus is in fine fettle while Frédéric Chaslin has the orchestra at its Puccini best.
WMC, Cardiff and touring.
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