If ever there was a single act that could tarnish a legacy, Tuesday night’s rendition of the celebrated opera “Madame Butterfly by the Cairo Opera Company was it.
Unfortunately, audiences had to endure not one, but three whole acts.
To cut straight to the point, the performance can at best be described as lukewarm, uninspired, and dreadfully boring. If you’re reading this review because you’re considering going to see it, I will tell you straightaway, don’t. Surely, there are less mind-numbing things to do with one’s time than watch a timeless classic shredded before your very eyes to the sound of squealing sopranos and brusque baritones.
Admittedly, I am by no means an opera buff, so while writing this review, I fear that I may be passing unfair judgment on the opera company’s lackluster recital – as slight as that chance may be.
There is also a chance that another audience member who attended the same show and is a seasoned opera-goer may disagree with my review. So to the 40-person strong audience that was scattered throughout the 1,300-seat main hall on Tuesday night – especially those who didn’t go home during the first intermission – we can agree to disagree.
Giacomo Puccini’s “Madame Butterfly, an opera in three acts to a libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa, premiered at the famous La Scala, Milan in 1904. Since then, there have been countless performances by opera companies around the world. It is ranked number one on Opera America s list of the 20 most-performed operas in North America.
The opera is set in Nagasaki and was reportedly chronicles of events that actually occurred there in the early 1890s. The curtains open on a serene terrace overlooking Nagasaki harbor, where a small house is nestled in the hillside among rustling trees and blossoming flowers. This is the house of Lieutenant B F Pinkerton – a sailor with the USS Abraham Lincoln – just leased from marriage broker Goro, who also arranges Pinkerton’s marriage to Cio-Cio-San.
The American consul Sharpless attempts to dissuade Pinkerton from his plan when he discovers that the naïve bride, known as Butterfly, believes the marriage to be binding. The truth is, Pinkerton can leave both the house and his marriage when he pleases, as they are both on a renewable monthly contract.
After falling in love at first sight, Butterfly is quick to renounce her faith as a sign of commitment to Pinkerton, and she is disowned by her people. Pinkerton protectively kicks everyone off the property and consoles the tearful Butterfly, after which they begin a short-lived but happy marriage.
Act one ends, and so did the night for those in the audience who chose to go home instead of sitting through more torturous singing, dispassionate acting and the laughable Arabic translation projected on a small screen to the right of the stage.
The only saving grace – and the only thing that evoked an emotion beside utter boredom and occasional chuckles – was the spirited music from the Cairo Opera Orchestra led by Japanese conductor Hirofumi Yoshida. In fact, the music was so much better than anything else that at times I would close my eyes and try to tune out the opera singers and focus only on the music.
Pinkerton and Butterfly, the main characters, were the weakest links. His voice was too weak and hers was too strong. She wasn’t nearly as dainty and delicate – in either voice or physical stature – as one would expect a “butterfly to be. In many scenes, especially the one where Pinkerton sings his heart out, praising her graceful, gentle nature, it seemed as if he was talking about someone else completely.
We can gloss over the next two acts just so readers don’t feel compelled to go see how it ends. Duty calls Pinkerton away for three years and Butterfly awaits his return in anticipation, accompanied by her loyal maid Suzuki who tries to convince her that he has abandoned them. They grow poorer by the day.
Meanwhile, Pinkerton marries Kate, the beautiful American blond, and Sharpless attempts to deliver this news to Butterfly, but she is too deafened by love to hear it. She even refuses a rich suitor because she is already married to Pinkerton and – gasp – is raising her son: a blond, blue-eyed child who is the spitting image of the American sailor.
The USS Abraham Lincoln docks and Butterfly is abuzz with excitement. At dawn, Pinkerton and Sharpless arrive and tell Suzuki the truth, also informing her of their intention to convince Butterfly to giver up her son so he can lead a more promising life in America.
Unable to bear the sadness, Pinkerton runs off stage just as Butterfly walks in. She is distraught at the onslaught of realities she must face, and finally surrenders to her fate. She bids a teary farewell to her son – here the singing was so bad it made her agony sound like she was screaming at the child, who did look quite scared – takes her father s dagger and kills herself just as Pinkerton is running back to her, calling out her name.
Puccini, who was inspired to become an opera composer after seeing Verdi’s opera “Aida , is among the most important Italian composers of all time. He based his opera on David Belasco’s play of the same name – which was itself based on a short story by John Luther Long.
Compelled by the exoticism of the setting and the tragic heroine, the plot was in line with the realism Puccini employed in many of his works. In its premiere, the original two-act opera was a failure, mainly because the audience was exhausted by the lengthy second act. After a slight revision, Puccini’s three-act opera became an instant hit.
Not only was it one of his best works, it also earned a place in the opera canon as one of the most masterful productions. A brief internet search attests to the influence Puccini’s opera has had on cinema and music.
By no means, however, did Puccini intend for his beloved opera to be performed the way it was Tuesday night.
– Madame Butterfly will be performed tonight, 9 pm, at the Cairo Opera House s Main Hall. Tel: (02) 2739 0212.
