It is the second time I have seen this production of Butterfly. The first was when it was premiered back in 2005, apart from the great music, I wanted to see the director Anthony Minghella would do. I was not disappointed then - it is beautifully staged, just enough oriental detail to evoke Japan, some beautifully filmic moments and all the drama and pathos of the plot.
Last night I was still as entranced as I was back in 2005. It still looks lovely. The costumes (particularly the extravagant outfit of Prince Yamadori) bring Japan to life in a riot of colour. The effects work well. And I still like Cio-Cio-San's child being a puppet (beautifully brought to life by Tom Espiner, Julia Innocenti and Laura Caldow).
It was a new Butterfly in the title role last night. The Russian-American soprano Dina Kuznetsova was wonderful. Her singing was clear and full of emotion. She looked good and moved well. She ticked all the boxes for a good Cio-Cio-San.
We cannot ignore Pamela Helen Stephen as her maid, Suzuki. Their duets were amongst the high points of the night.
Timothy Richards as Pinkerton was a bit lost amongst the orchestra and couldn't match the power of Kuznetsova's voice. He was somewhat outshone by Goro (Alun Rhys-Jenkins), Sharpless (George von Bergen) and particularly Prince Yamadori (Alexander Robin Baker).
It is a great production - well worth a look! And what a story!
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