ButterflyPalace - Page: 1 of 1

THE STORY:
Based on a play of the same name by David Belasco, it is hard to image today that this great opera was heckled so badly on its opening night of February 17, 1904 [many believe Puccini was set up by a competitor] that Puccini withdrew it for three months until he could figure out why.
The story is simple and universal in its appeal: Navy Lieutenant B.F. Pinkerton takes up temporary residence in Nagasaki, Japan and is introduced by marriage broker, Goro, to the young, impressionable geisha Cio-Cio-San, Butterfly. Pinkerton is infatuated; Cio-Cio-San misreads his infatuation for true love and falls deeply in love with him. She marries him, changes her religion to Christian, turns her back on family and tradition and devotes herself to becoming a “real American wife”.
Called to duty, Pinkerton leaves with a promise to one day return, and he does, three years later, but with an American wife in hand. Near broke, Butterfly never loses faith that her American husband would return or that she would be welcome into his arms. Her servant, Suzuki, knows better after reading one of Pinkerton’s letters, but can’t find the courage to tell Butterfly that she has been betrayed.
Butterfly would rather commit suicide than return to her former life, especially after she borne a son to Pinkerton while he was away. The day of the meeting, Pinkerton turns coward and leaves the house rather than confront Cio-Cio-San, and only moments before her death realizes what a cad he has been. The duty falls to Pinkerton’s American wife, Kate, and Butterfly’ loyal servant, Suzuki, to tell the truth to Butterfly and ask that Pinkerton’s son be turned over to her. Cio-Cio-San relents and does as asked, and after bidding her son farewell and her guests leave, she takes out a knife in the final act and commits suicide.

WHERE I VIEWED IT:
The Palace Theater in downtown Waterbury Connecticut has been restored to its Renaissance Revival best, and it is a sight to behold: beautiful! The theater boasts, as the production notes state, an eclectic mix of Greek, Roman, Arabic and Federal motifs, grand lobby spaces, domed ceilings and an overall palace setting that makes seeing an opera here worth the trip. Access to the Interstate is easy, parking is right across the street, and the theater is close to local restaurants. The orchestra has plenty of room to spread out in a lower level pit and the acoustics for the hall are quite good. This is a fine and fitting place to view opera.

THE PERFORMANCE:
My first introduction to opera occurred while I was stationed at Paris Island, South Caroline with the U.S. Marines sometime in 1964, with a 1962 movie titled “My Geisha” starring Shirley McLaine. Not to complicate things, but the movie was a movie within a movie where the characters’ lives tracked the opera Madama Butterfly, right up to and including the famous last scene of Butterfly (McLaine) knife in hand ready to commit suicide rather than live in dishonor. I was so impressed with the romantic idea of the movie that I went to the base library the next night and listened to the entire opera from a record. I have been hooked ever since. Not since that day, have I been as moved by a performance as I was Sunday afternoon, February 6, 2005, when Amy Johnson wowed the audience at the Palace Theater in Waterbury Connecticut, with an exquisite and power-packed performance as Cio-Cio-San, Butterfly, that won her a deserved and prolonged standing ovation when the opera was done. If you skipped this show because you have seen it before, you missed something you will not likely see in a long, long, time: perfection!
I am fussy about who plays Butterfly, and how they look. I am still seeing Shirley McLaine back then when she was a lot closer to fifteen than most singers are today who perform the role. Ms. Johnson has won me over. Tall, with an angular face and slim frame, Ms. Johnson redefined that role for me not just with her physical appearance, but with a lovely voice that soared and glided effortlessly through the part, filled with such emotion, depth and sensitive delivery that there were few dry eyes in the house by the time she neared her end. Brava!
This Butterfly had some pretty impressive help, too, not the least of which was from her Pinkerton, tenor, Marc Heller. Mr. Heller held the audience captive with a marvelous tenor voice that matched Ms. Johnson’s equally emotional and fragile soprano, Butterfly. The two played off one another beautifully. Heller didn’t just sing, he breathed life into the role when he sang and gave his character dimension, delivering a performance that matched his voice: strong, clear, capable and full of feeling.
Sondra Kelly, as Butterfly’s devoted servant, Suzuki, showed good form, strong acting ability, and sang her role beautifully, complimenting the leading lady, never competing. Hers was a fine and very touching servant. Kudos must also go to the strong performances and impressive singing talents of Vernon Hartman as Sharpless (although a little stiff in parts); Enrique Toral as the marriage broker Goro; Mario Bertolino as Prince Yamadori; and Stephen Kirchgraber as Bonzo, the uncle. This entire supporting cast, complimented by a wonderful chorus, under the direction of Jonathan Babbin, that never sounded flat or disconnected from what was going on about them, made this Butterfly a winner on all counts. The role of Pinkerton’s wife, Kate, sung by Marianna Vagnini, is a small part that appears in the final minutes of the last act. It was sung well.
The 41-piece orchestra, conducted by Anton Coppola was magnificent. As solid as the singing was in this production, and it was superb, the orchestra met the vocalists with unparalleled accompaniment that was deep, rich, strong, full and very, very moving. This is what going to the opera is all about. When all the parts come together, not as separate entities, each performing their individual role and then stepping aside, but as an ensemble, as if the many were just one piece, inextricably intertwined in one whole, you know you are seeing and hearing something special. Maestro Coppola got from this wonderful orchestra and cast a performance that was nothing short of glorious.
Lastly, there was the direction and lighting by Roberto Stivanello: Wonderful! Not only did all the characters have something to do and places to stand that fit perfectly with what was going on on stage, but the lighting for the drop-down sets was effective, and in some scenes, spectacular. The sets were colorful, imaginative and created a perfect story-book setting for this captivating tale.
The Palace Theater management deserves high marks for this ambitious undertaking, and they get those marks from this reviewer, for this Madama Butterfly, was about as perfect a production, complete with powerfully moving performances, smart directing and effective lighting, as you will likely ever see. Very well done!

Conductor, Anton Coppola
Directing, Robert Stivanello
Lighting, Robert Stivanello
Makeup and Wigs, Dennis Bergevin and Jeffrey Frank
Chorus Master, Jonathan Babbit
Supertitles, Scenery and Costumes, Stivanello Costumes Co., Inc.