PUCCINI’S MADAMA
BUTTERFLY
Esplanade Theatre
Friday (1 February 2013 )
This review was published in The Straits Times on 4 February 2013 with the title "Butterfly soars to new heights".
The
Singapore Lyric Opera was on course to have staged four consecutive operas new
to its repertoire for the first time, but it turned its back on the double bill
of Puccini’s Suor Angelica and Gianni Schicchi, and settled on the
familiar favourite Madama Butterfly
instead. It was a stroke of pragmatism and expediency, which transformed
looming box-office disaster to full houses.
This
was its third production of the best-loved tear-jerker, and the first without
veteran soprano Nancy Yuen in the titular role. She had been spotted in the
audience looking very relaxed, as her younger Japanese colleague Mako Nishimoto
stole the show. It would seem that the part of Cio-Cio-San was tailor-made for
her, the tragic Oriental who gave only love but reaped misfortune.
Nishimoto
sang as she lived her character, fraught with tenderness, passion, anxieties and
terminal despair. Her voice was sweetness itself, but was capable of tumultuous
shifts as her mood traversed many shades of darkness. In the Second Act, her
aria Un bel di (One Fine Day) was pure radiance captured in a bottle, and when
girlish anticipation turned into the cold realisation of her partner’s
treachery, these were etched on her face and ultimately her singing.
Butterfly’s
tragedy was born from a clash of cultures and expectations. This was mirrored
in Spanish tenor Israel Lozano’s Pinkerton, whose oblivious and callous posture
was apparent from the outset. She was, after all, a plaything even if the
shared chemistry in the First Act love duet seemed like the real thing. The
fact that Lozano garnered not a few boos at the end was testament to his
believability.
The
supporting cast was excellent in all respects. Anna Koor (the brow-beaten
Suzuki), John Antoniou (the sympathetic Consul Sharpless) and Lemuel dela Cruz
(the slimy marriage broker Goro) added to the characterisation and interest of
the story. The chorus scenes were lively and colourful, with director Andrew
Sinclair’s attention to the minutiae of details being particularly delightful.
Did
anyone notice Butterfly’s cousin (a bit part sung by young soprano Su Yiwen) and
how jealous she got at the wedding ceremony? Even more significant is the
non-singing role played by Andrei Rasmussen, as Butterfly’s son Sorrow (above), who acted
most naturally and responded to her every gesture as an innocent and loving
3-year-old would.
The
set design by Christopher Chua was kept deliberately simple, with sliding doors
playing a pivotal part in separating public scenes from what is kept private.
Deborah Png’s concept of lighting was stunning in its effectiveness; fiery red
for the Bonze’s menacing intrusion (above) and the phases of a full moon for the
musical entr’acte into the final scene.
This
was one production where the SLO Orchestra conducted by Joshua Kangming Tan
sounded close to faultless. When the orchestral playing complements the singing
to the point that it becomes a seamless part of the action by not bringing
undue attention to itself, it has done its job well. This may well be SLO’s
finest production yet.
Puccini’s
Madama Butterfly plays for two more shows,
on Monday and Tuesday evenings. Be sure to catch it.
Photographs courtesy of Singapore Lyric Opera.
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