[Vanessa20]

Since I have nothing to do at the moment, I've decided to be a shameless opera buff and plug the upcoming worldwide simulcast of Miss Saigon's source material.

In case anyone didn't know, Madame Butterfly will be shown in movie theaters worldwide on March 7, simulcast live in HD from the Metropolitan Opera. There will also be encore showings on March 18th and 19th.

The production was created by the late film director/screenwriter Anthony Minghella (The English Patient, Cold Mountain). The scheduled stars are world-famous soprano Cristina Gallardo-Domas and tenor Marcello Giordani. Patrick Summers will conduct.

Tickets are available both online and at the box offices of the theaters where it's showing. If you live in LA (where I live, and thus the only city I can give addresses for), you can see it at either Century City's AMC theatre (10250 Santa Monica Blvd.), The Bridge at the Howard Hughes Center (6081 Center Dr.), or the Burbank 16 multiplex (125 E Palm Ave.).

I'm absolutely sick of going to these HD simulcasts from the Met and being the only young person in the audience. What's the point of bringing opera to the masses if the "masses" who go will all be dead in 15 years? If you're a Miss Saigon fan, but don't really know Madame Butterfly and would like to, please try to see this production.

[Yakko]

I'm so happy that it's playing in My town!

[Vanessa20]

Bump (it's a week from today)

[Vanessa20]

Did anyone see it?

I thought it was spectacular. The production was gorgeous and all the lead singers' performances were positively illuminating- I liked it even better than I thought I would. The Butterfly, Patricia Racette (Cristina Gallardo-Domas apparently cancelled), gave a tour de force performance.

For anyone who missed it and would like to see it, the encore showings are on March 18th and 19th.

[RainbowJude]

I saw the MET HD broadcast of Madama Butterfly. I found the first act pretty hard going, both production wise and in terms of the opera itself and it wasn't until the closing duet at the end of Act I that I thought this could turn into something special. Act II was just wonderful and by the time it got to the "Humming Chorus" at the end, I was just - "wow."

Patricia Racette was phenomenal, not only in terms of her singing but in terms of what she brought to the role in her characterization. I could completely believe in the conviction of this character in spite of all the signs that the opposite of what she believed was true. But what absolutely made the whole thing so heart-wrenching for me was Maria Zifchak as Suzuki. In a role that seems like it so easily could be nothing, she was just exquisite.

I guess I should say something about the puppet (which was used for Butterfly's son). I have seen a lot of puppets on stage this year and what Carolyn Choa said in her interview after Act II is true: one usually becomes unaware of the puppeteers after a few minutes. But here it was impossible because of the filming - and the HD, I guess - and I really had to concentrate on not being distracted by the puppeteers themselves. The changing angles just made you so aware of their presence and there were moments where I found I was annoyed by them just being there to do there job. I am certain it works as intended when seen live.

At the top of the third act, there was what I guess could be called a dream ballet between a puppet version of Butterfly and a dancer who was meant to be Pinkerton. Like Agnes de Mille's ballet in Oklahoma!, this reinforced narrative, theme and foreshadowed future events. For me, it didn't quite work, but it was visually interesting to watch.

I was blown away by Act II and while I enjoyed the third act a great deal, the middle section of the act just felt a little long without providing much depth. I haven't mentioned Marcello Giordani as Pinkerton yet, but I wasn't crazy about him and I wonder if this, along with the presence of the completely underwritten Kate Pinkerton, didn't contribute to this feeling. Giordani seemed very one-note, especially when placed next to the others around him. (I should say at this point that I enjoyed the supporting cast a great deal, and two in particular: Dwayne Croft was fantastic as Sharpless and David Won as Yamadori just about broke my heart in his short scene. Yamadori is another role, like Suzuki, that I feel could be a throwaway, but Won's performance turned it into something really effective.)

The last section of the opera, from "Come una mosca" to the end was stunning. I loved how Minghella handled it and Zifchak and Racette were once again phenomenal. Racette in her final aria was spellbinding.

Dramatically, this has been the tightest opera I've seen. Our local opera company is producing Madama Butterfly next month. But I'm not sure there's any point in going after seeing this....

Later days
David