Grange Park Opera

Die with honour, or live with shame? This is Butterfly’s choice at the end of Puccini’s excoriating tragedy

Japan opens it doors to America as does Butterfly to the callous B F Pinkerton. A great love is met with devastating, casual betrayal.

Puccini’s score is a miracle of economy, its celestial melodies seeping into the heart; its Japanese inflections tenderly evoke this secret culture.

Bring Kleenex.

Sung in Italian with English surtitles

Cast & Creatives

CIO-CIO-SAN, Madama Butterfly ∙ HYE-YOUN LEE     Sponsor David & Clare Kershaw
SUZUKI, her maid ∙ KITTY WHATELY     Sponsor Anthony & Carolyn Townsend
B F PINKERTON, Lt in the US Navy ∙ LUIS GOMES
SHARPLESS, US consul at Nagasaki ∙ ROSS RAMGOBIN
GORO, a matchmaker ∙ ADRIAN THOMPSON
THE BONZE, Cio-Cio-San’s uncle ∙ JIHOON KIM

CONDUCTOR ∙ STEPHEN BARLOW
DIRECTOR / DESIGNER ∙ JOHN DOYLE
LIGHTING DESIGNER ∙ TIM MITCHELL

THE GASCOIGNE ORCHESTRA

The Humming Chorus is sponsored by Prof Martin Brown & Dr Sue Brown
“Tu, tu piccolo Iddio” is sponsored by Tessa & John Manser

Synopsis

For 200 years, Japan has not allowed American trade. In 1853 the U.S. Navy sends four warships threatening to attack if Japan did not begin trade with the West.

ACT 1

Nagasaki

Goro, a marriage broker, has arranged for naval officer Benjamin Franklin Pinkerton to ‘marry’ Cio-Cio-San – known as Butterfly. Pinkerton inspects the house and his bride’s entourage.

With the American Consul, Sharpless, he drinks a toast to the USA. Sharpless, fearful for Butterfly, tries to dissuade Pinkerton, saying that one day Pinkerton will have a ‘real’ American wife.

Butterfly tells Sharpless how her family fell on hard times and the women became geishas. Her mother will come to the wedding but her father is dead. Butterfly shows Pinkerton her possessions – except for the most sacred one: her father’s dagger. It was a gift from the Mikado and was an order to commit suicide.

For Pinkerton’s sake, Butterfly has become a Christian, but she has not told her family. The couple are married. Her uncle, the Bonze, and her family berate her. Pinkerton orders everyone to leave.

Pinkerton comforts his bride and, as night falls, he leads her into the house.

ACT 2

Three years later

Pinkerton has been recalled to America. Butterfly and her maid, Suzuki, have little money but Butterfly refuses to believe that Pinkerton has deserted her. One day he will return.

Sharpless and Goro arrive with news: Pinkerton’s ship will arrive in Nagasaki that very day. Butterfly is ecstatic. Sharpless cannot bring himself to tell her any more. Over the years, Goro has been trying to marry Butterfly off to various suitors but she refuses them.

Sharpless tries again to deliver the rest of Pinkerton’s letter and presses Butterfly to accept Yamadori, who is rich. She brings in her child — Pinkerton’s child. They are shocked. Sharpless promises to tell Pinkerton.

Goro has spread rumours that Butterfly has a fatherless child. She hears the harbour cannon signalling the ship’s arrival of a ship and tells Suzuki to decorate the house. She puts on her wedding dress, waiting for her husband.

Dawn the following day

Butterfly has kept an all-night vigil.

Sharpless arrives with Pinkerton and his American wife. Sharpless wants Suzuki to help break the news to Butterfly that Pinkerton is married. Pinkerton cannot pluck up the courage to face Butterfly. They leave it to Suzuki to tell her the truth.

Kate Pinkerton asks whether she may take the child away.

Butterfly maintains her dignity. If Pinkerton returns to the house in half an hour, she will give him the answer.

She dismisses everyone and prepares herself for a ceremonial suicide.