The Lyric Opera of Chicago opened its production of Giacomo Puccini's Madama Butterfly on Saturday. It has been highly anticipated with a new vision for the story of Cio Cio San and Lieutenant Pinkerton. This Madama Butterfly was intended to be done with a genuine Japanese cultural sensibility. Director Matthew Ozawa has been the Lyric's chief artistic officer since 2022, and I reviewed his fantastic Fidelio in 2024. Ozawa is of Japanese descent, as are some of the cast and behind-the-scenes people. This Madama Butterfly is quite different from the premiere at La Scala in 1904, and it makes sense that there should be new perspectives and production values today.
This production offers a more intimate look into a segment of Japanese culture and one of the best portrayals of Cio Cio San I have seen by Korean soprano Karah Son in her Lyric debut. Son has a crystal clear power soprano that hits every high C in "Un bel di" and "Vogliatemi bene." She gives a thrilling performance of Cio Cio San's vulnerability as a new bride, and then unleashes fury when she realizes that Lieutenant Pinkerton is a coward and has betrayed her. There is so much more brought to the surface in this production. White male privilege is at the forefront of most everything in America right now, and this Madama Butterfly takes place in present-day America and Nagasaki, Japan, through a virtual reality headset. Hold the phone! What? This is just one of the odd visual and plot choices that I found distracting.
Lieutenant Benjamin Franklin Pinkerton is beautifully sung and acted by American tenor Evan LeRoy Johnson in his Lyric debut. I think that the virtual reality plot twist did a disservice to the Pinkerton character, placing him in a headset in virtual zombie mode. Johnson handles the plot device well, given that it is all pantomime against Puccini's glorious music. Johnson's voice is rich and full, with nary a hint of maudlin. The chemistry between Cio Cio San and Pinkerton feels genuine, which was a tribute to the talent of Son and Johnson.
Mezzosoprano Nozomi Kato plays the role of Cio Cio San's faithful servant, Suzuki. This was Kato's Lyric debut, and she nails it playing the mother figure, fiercely protective of her charge. Baritone Zachary Nelson plays Counsel Sharpless, who arranges the marriage between the geisha and the naval officer. I have seen two other productions of Madama Butterfly at Lyric, and the Sharpless character has not been as memorable as Nelson makes this one. The role is more emotionally connected in this production, and the character feels shame at what has been done to Cio Cio San. Kato and Nelson go head-to-head when the truth about Pinkerton and his American wife is revealed. It was great singing and compelling acting.
The supporting roles are given more of the spotlight than in previous productions. Tenor Rodell Rosel plays the role of the marriage broker Goro. He played the same role in the 2019 Madama Butterfly at Lyric. Goro is more pimp than broker, and Rosel gives the character the perfect touch of skeevy manipulation. The arrangement is reminiscent of government-sanctioned "comfort women" more than marriage. Bass-baritone Jongwon Han plays the Bonze, a vengeful character set to shame Butterfly and attempt an honor killing at the wedding. It feels like an episode of Mortal Kombat, but there are instances of violent monks in Japan.
In addition to Rosel, four Ryan Center members are in the cast. Baritone Sihao Hu plays Prince Yamadori, brought by Goro to marry Cio Cio San and skim another commission off of Sharpless. Mezzosoprano Alexis Peart plays Kate Pinkerton. It is a little more than a cameo, but her voice is spectacular. She sang "Habanera" from Carmen in Sunday in the Park With Lyric, and she put some heat into it. I can see her playing a lead soon. Bass-baritone Christopher Humbert Jr. was most recently seen in Salome and has a cameo as Imperial Commissioner. Humbert has charisma in addition to a powerful voice. Another cameo as the Official Registrar is by baritone Sankara Harouna, who made his Lyric debut on the opening night of Champion.
Domingo Hindoyan conducts the Lyric Opera Orchestra for Madama Butterfly. He maintains a perfect balance between the singers and the instruments. No one was drowned out, unlike with other guest conductors, who can be a distraction. Speaking of distractions, the set design by Kimie Nishikawa of Dots Collective is cluttered and a weird mix of arcade lights, a malfunctioning sliding door, and a less-than-graceful descent into a bedroom for the honeymoon night. It was jarring to see the modern apartment modules on both sides of Cio Cio San's Nagasaki home. It was too much all at once in too little space. The Lyric has a big enough stage for an epic Madama Butterfly, but the set feels claustrophobic. The scenic design lacks the simplicity and tranquility for which Japanese architecture and design are known.
Maiko Matsushima's costume design was bold and original. However, it was another case of too much all at once, in a claustrophobic set. I lost count of the bridesmaids or geishas that led Cio Cio San into the marital home. Add Sharpless, Goro, the Bonze, Imperial Commissioner, and the Official Registrar, and you have a color palette that feels like a packed cereal aisle stuffed into a studio apartment. I was not feeling the wonky shoulders on Lt. Pinkerton's dress whites, nor was I particularly fond of Sharpless's asymmetrical suits with bold colors peeking out of the folds.
Despite the distractions, I still recommend Madama Butterfly as a classic opera that should be seen for the superb singing and musicianship. It is one of Puccini's best-known tragic operas, alongside La Bohème. That opera was updated to show the exploitation of women having to resort to sex work for survival, even back in the early 19th century. The prominent issues of the present are highlighted in this production. Cio Cio San is 15 years old when she is basically sold to Pinkerton. Her vulnerability and emotional immaturity make Pinkerton's actions all the more cowardly and heinous. Butterfly is basically property, and her male child is the only worth that she has to Pinkerton or his American wife.
The best thing about the virtual reality part is the revelation of white male privilege. This is all a game and a fetish to Pinkerton. Look at the posters on the wall of his apartment, and how his wife can't get him to put the headset down and pay attention to her. It is entirely in Pinkerton's imagination that a 21st-century woman would go along with this fetish and take his son from another woman back home. It is a classic Puccini tragedy from another century that now seems prescient, or even more tragic: there has been very little progress in how women are treated. I recommend that you check it out for yourself.
Madama Butterfly runs for three hours, including a 30-minute intermission. There are only nine performances through April 12 at the Lyric Opera House, 20 North Wacker Drive. More information and tickets are available here.
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