One would think that an opera as iconic as Puccini's "Madama Butterfly" would be a sure success for any opera company. Opera, however, is a flirtatiously tricky medium.
With a relatively small canon of classics, certain operas - "Butterfly" among them - stand as staples for any opera house. A successful "Butterfly" requires more than simply beautiful voices; it requires an innovative production that augments the beauty of the music and gives the timeless story fresh meaning. Were beautiful voices all that a successful "Butterfly" required, Boston Lyric Opera's new production would be an overwhelming success, but the garden-variety set pieces and costumes are what make this production fall short.
Set in Japan in the early 1900s, Puccini's opera tells a classically tragic story of mistaken intentions. Japanese geisha and title character Madama Butterfly, Cio-Cio-San (Kelly Kaduce), believes that when American naval officer Benjamin Franklin Pinkerton (Gerard Powers) signs their marriage contract, he is consenting to a lifelong bond of marriage. Pinkerton, however, sees the marriage contract as less binding, and he abandons her when he returns to the United States. For three years, Madama Butterfly remains devoted to Pinkerton, giving birth to his son and caring for him with the help of her loyal maid Suzuki (Melinda Pineda) and the support of the American consul, Sharpless (Carlos Archuleta).
When Pinkerton finally returns to Japan with his new American wife, Kate (Erica Brookhyser), in tow, Madama Butterfly's world self-destructs. As she sends her child off to his father, Madama Butterfly commits suicide and dies with her honor intact.
Certain numbers, such as Madama Butterfly's "Un Bel Di Vedremo," the lovers' duet that closes the first act, the flower duet from the second act, and the humming chorus that closes the second act have become icons of the operatic canon. Their musical beauty transcends the vocal prowess of the singers so that most any opera audience can learn to appreciate them.
In all fairness, this season in particular, an innovative "Butterfly" is a tall order to fill. Striking pictures for Anthony Minghella's much anticipated production of "Butterfly" for the Metropolitan Opera's 2006-07 season are available online. What the production directors for Boston's Lyric Opera seem to forget is that one need not be Anthony Minghella to have something new to say about the Puccini classic.
BLO's production team, led by Stage Director Colin Graham, plays it safe with a color pallet of white and red, symbolizing all too predictably the innocence and brutality that are central themes in this opera. This production sticks to convention and refuses to make a statement every time an opportunity arises.
The ends of each act contain the only evidence of Graham's innovative efforts. At the end of the first act, Madama Butterfly and Pinkerton retreat behind a screen, and the audience watches their shadows converge as they consummate their recent marriage. At the end of the opera, Madama Butterfly retreats behind a screen once again - this time alone - and the audience sees only her shadow as she commits her tragic final act. The image is indeed beautiful, but the connection that it seeks to draw between the act of love and the act of death descends once again into the realm of painstaking adherence to convention.
Lack of innovation aside, BLO's production is certainly lovely, due mostly to the solid lead performances. Honduran mezzo-soprano Melina Pineda brings warmth and passionate wisdom to the role of Suzuki, Madama Butterfly's faithful maid. Baritone Carlos Archuleta in his Boston Lyric Opera debut gives Sharpless both tenderness and tragic severity. Gerard Powers, also in his BLO debut, demonstrates enviable vocal prowess and dramatic skill. These three solid supporting performances are essential to the production's success and provide the energy that helps their prima donna soar.
And soar she does. Kelly Kaduce's Madama Butterfly is nothing short of breathtaking. Some Madamas are heart-warming, others are heart-rending, and Kaduce's is the best of both. Demonstrating a full range of emotions, from the mysterious and ephemeral to the harsh and violent, Kaduce has a pure sound, her emotional expression perfectly conceived, her performance nearly flawless.
The end result is crowd-pleasing, to say the least. The audience's thunderous ovation for Kaduce on opening night is evidence of this fact. This production owes its success to Kaduce and her supporting performers. Without them, it would be nothing but a bland carbon copy of over a century of operatic tradition.
