This was opening night for their first season and played to a full house. I have seen Madama Butterfly a number of times and this was the oddest set and stage direction yet. The very large stage at the Colonial Theatre in Pittsfield was back by a scrim with a platform in front of it and a large circular object from behind which singers made exits and entrances. Otherwise the stage didn't have much on it. This arrangement meant that a lot of the singing had be from the rear of the stage.
Often when singing major arias the singers stood at the front of the stage and faced the audience, sort of like a concert version of the opera.
Inna LosThe cast had many splendid singers. Inna Los was Cio-Cio-San. She has a sizable voice with a good top and is a very good actress. For some reason in Act I everyone was dressed in Japanese attire appropriate to the period of the composition of the opera (Early 20th century). Then in Acts II and III, Cio-Cio-San appeared in a modern gray suit. This was to emphasize her attempt to seem more 'American' but shook up the time frame. I doubt that this story, which may be based on fact, works in a contemporary setting.
Jason SlaydenJason Slaydon was B.F. Pinkerton. He has a resounding tenor voice with the requisite range for the role but his voice needs a bit more polish to gain international repute.
Sarah LarsenSarah Larson sang the part of Suzuki. Again a large voice but she needs to find the bottom of her range which was weak. She was at the best in Act III.
Weston HurtTwo of the best voices last night belonged to Weston Hurt as Sharpless and Eduardo Valdes as Goro. Both had rich strong voices and sang and acted wonderfully. Bravi!
Eduardo ValdesThe rest of the cast included John Cheek (formerly at the Met and a resident of Great Barrington) as the Bonze, Benjamin Taylor, a very good baritone as Prince Yamadori, and Katherine Maysek in the ungrateful role of Kate Pinkerton.
The conductor was Brian Garman and the stage director was Jonathon Loy. A good orchestra was in the pit.
Some of the stage direction was lacking in sensible movement in that the singers had to cope with this odd set. Acts II and III were done without pause. Since there was nothing to indicate the walls of Butterfly's house, Shoji screens were wheeled on and off stage from time to time. At the end of Act II Suzuki wheeled one to the front of the stage for Butterfly, herself, and Sorrow to peer through to look for the arrival of Pinkerton. Usually Butterfly pokes holes in the material to look out. In this case the material was apparently un-pokeable so they were standing, with their backs to the audience looking at beige material of some un-pokeable kind, all through the humming chorus and the prelude to Act III. It looked odd. David said 'What are they supposed to be doing?' They were actually looking back into what had just been the living room of the house.
At the end Butterfly kills herself while standing on the platform at the rear of the stage with her back to the audience. When Pinkerton rushes in from behind the large circular set piece, He merely stood in place, unable to get across the religious statue that was in the middle of the platform to reach her. Not very dramatic.
The strangest production of this opera I ever saw was in Paris at the Salle Garnier. Lorraine made her Paris début in this room with Les Arts Florissants and I attended that performance as well.
In that production life-sized puppets doubled the actions of some of the singers and Butterfly arrived on stage in what appeared to be an enormous pie dish with the material forming what would have been the crust coming up to her neck. Oh well!
