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The Province
29-04-2025
- Entertainment
- The Province
Review: Vancouver Opera's Madama Butterfly puts a spin on Puccini's perennial favourite
Yasko Sato and Robert Watson in Madama Butterfly. Photo by Emily Cooper Reviews and recommendations are unbiased and products are independently selected. Postmedia may earn an affiliate commission from purchases made through links on this page. Vancouver Opera ends its 65th season with Puccini's perennial favourite Madama Butterfly, in an extended run of five partially double-cast performances. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Exclusive articles by top sports columnists Patrick Johnston, Ben Kuzma, J.J. Abrams and others. Plus, Canucks Report, Sports and Headline News newsletters and events. Unlimited online access to The Province and 15 news sites with one account. The Province ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on. Daily puzzles and comics, including the New York Times Crossword. Support local journalism. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Exclusive articles by top sports columnists Patrick Johnston, Ben Kuzma, J.J. Abrams and others. Plus, Canucks Report, Sports and Headline News newsletters and events. Unlimited online access to The Province and 15 news sites with one account. The Province ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on. Daily puzzles and comics, including the New York Times Crossword. Support local journalism. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors The show opened Saturday evening in the Queen Elizabeth Theatre to a full and enthusiastic house — no surprise, given Butterfly's enduring popularity and appeal. But this isn't exactly Butterfly as seen in previous mountings of the work. Director Mo Zhou has made some telling changes to the mise-en-scènes, moving the setting from turn of the century Japan to the aftermath of the Second World War and the years of the American Occupation. This isn't Regieoper, in which an overriding directorial conceit becomes the justification for all manners of intervention. The slight shift in setting is an honest attempt at getting at the emotional heart of the story, a way of reclaiming the power and poignancy of a tale now slightly shopworn with constant repetition. Essential reading for hockey fans who eat, sleep, Canucks, repeat. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. It works. Zhou changes neither words nor music. True, costumes (from Kentucky Opera, Virginia Opera and Florentine Opera) are updated, but the setting (from Portland Opera) is traditional, attractive and effective, a case of having your cake and eating it too. Her most telling addition is a 'here are the facts' series of projections during the extended instrumental introduction to Act 3. During the run there will be two Cho-Cho-Sans and two Pinkertons: Karen Chia-Ling Ho and Adam Luther will sing the lead roles in two matinee performances. Opening night and subsequent evenings see Yasko Sato and Robert Watson as the leads. Watson is an effective Pinkerton: all brash adventurer in Act 1, snivelling coward in Act 3. His voice is attractive, and his sense of Italian style commendable. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Yasko Sata has a big, dramatic sound. On opening night, her delivery was occasionally uneven, but she owns the part, delivering the role with passion and intensity, just what director Zhou clearly wanted for the part. Casting for the subsidiary roles was especially strong. The Suzuki, Cho-Cho-San's trusted maid/companion, was beautifully sung by Nozomi Kato; Julius Ahn was effectively loathsome as Goro, the so-called Marriage Broker; and Brett Polegato, a VSO stalwart, was especially fine as Sharpless, the American consul, an honest, even sympathetic man in a dishonest position. The extended interplay among Kato, Sata and Polegato made for an unusually rich and nuanced second act, which can often seem like operatic flyover country between the evocative opening and melodramatic denouement. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Much of the success of director Zhou's vision is rooted in her deep understanding of Puccini's music; her ideas stem from the score and are rooted by musical content, even when there has been a slight but significant change in context. Stage action is meaningful but never busy; some of the most memorable vignettes are still and calm, like the superb moments that frame the famous humming chorus: two anxious but silent women, a restless child wanting sleep; that's all. And it's heartbreaking. While the music drives Zhou's concept, it's conductor Jacques Lacombe and the Vancouver Opera Orchestra that make her vision and Puccini's sure-footed music resound purposefully. Puccini is a master of broad, lush melodies, sugary moments and explosive climaxes. Get the balance wrong, and the effect is compromised. Lacombe never lets superficial prettiness and exotic effects get in the way of the big picture; this is Italian verismo, raw, intense and inexorable. Performances continue May 1-8, 7:30 p.m.; May 4, 2 p.m. Read More Vancouver Canucks Vancouver Canucks National Local News Federal Election
Vancouver Sun
28-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Vancouver Sun
Review: Vancouver Opera's Madama Butterfly puts a spin on Puccini's perennial favourite
Article content Vancouver Opera ends its 65th season with Puccini's perennial favourite Madama Butterfly, in an extended run of five partially double-cast performances. Article content The show opened Saturday evening in the Queen Elizabeth Theatre to a full and enthusiastic house — no surprise, given Butterfly's enduring popularity and appeal. Article content But this isn't exactly Butterfly as seen in previous mountings of the work. Article content Article content Director Mo Zhou has made some telling changes to the mise-en-scènes, moving the setting from turn of the century Japan to the aftermath of the Second World War and the years of the American Occupation. This isn't Regieoper, in which an overriding directorial conceit becomes the justification for all manners of intervention. Article content Article content The slight shift in setting is an honest attempt at getting at the emotional heart of the story, a way of reclaiming the power and poignancy of a tale now slightly shopworn with constant repetition. Article content It works. Article content Zhou changes neither words nor music. True, costumes (from Kentucky Opera, Virginia Opera and Florentine Opera) are updated, but the setting (from Portland Opera) is traditional, attractive and effective, a case of having your cake and eating it too. Her most telling addition is a 'here are the facts' series of projections during the extended instrumental introduction to Act 3. Article content Article content During the run there will be two Cho-Cho-Sans and two Pinkertons: Karen Chia-Ling Ho and Adam Luther will sing the lead roles in two matinee performances. Opening night and subsequent evenings see Yasko Sato and Robert Watson as the leads. Article content Article content Watson is an effective Pinkerton: all brash adventurer in Act 1, snivelling coward in Act 3. His voice is attractive, and his sense of Italian style commendable. Article content Yasko Sata has a big, dramatic sound. On opening night, her delivery was occasionally uneven, but she owns the part, delivering the role with passion and intensity, just what director Zhou clearly wanted for the part. Article content The Suzuki, Cho-Cho-San's trusted maid/companion, was beautifully sung by Nozomi Kato; Julius Ahn was effectively loathsome as Goro, the so-called Marriage Broker; and Brett Polegato, a VSO stalwart, was especially fine as Sharpless, the American consul, an honest, even sympathetic man in a dishonest position. The extended interplay among Kato, Sata and Polegato made for an unusually rich and nuanced second act, which can often seem like operatic flyover country between the evocative opening and melodramatic denouement.
