Madama Butterfly – Edinburgh Playhouse

Three weeks into a five-month tour of the UK, Director Ellen Kent brings the Ukrainian Opera and Ballet Theatre, Keiv, to Edinburgh Playhouse with a triple bill of La Bohème, Madama Butterfly and Aida, playing on consecutive nights. This is quite an undertaking for any company, but Ellen Kent who is celebrating thirty years of bringing opera and ballet to the UK was never likely to take the easy option. And if this powerful rendition of Puccini’s masterpiece, Madama Butterfly, does not move you, the finale featuring a passionately sung Ukrainian National Anthem, together with ubiquitous blue and yellow flag, surely will.

Madama Butterfly is perhaps the best known of Italian composer, Giacomo Puccini’s 12 Opera output. The story is set in 1904, when the Russo Japanese war is taking place and centres around Cio-Cio-San, a young girl from Nagasaki who falls in love with Pinkerton, a reckless (much older) American Naval officer stationed near her home. Unfortunately, Pinkerton’s intentions are far from honourable, and he soon returns to America to marry a ‘proper’ American bride. He only returns 3 years later after he finds out he has a son, with the intention of taking the child back to America. The heartbroken Cio-Cio is driven to suicide rather than living on in dishonour.

If you think you have heard this story before, it bears particular similarities to the 1989 musical show, ‘Miss Saigon’, by Claude Michel Schonberg, in the same way that Puccini’s earlier opera ‘La Boheme’ is reinvented in Johnathan Larson modern musical ‘Rent’.

Ellen Kent plays this production in traditional style in the original two act form and featuring whitened faces and exaggerated and somewhat stylized movements and actions. Costumes are authentic ancient kimonos and the set and lighting effects, whilst simple are all effective at building the mood. Subtitles in English are invaluable and well integrated into the piece and allow you to become fully invested in the characters.

The orchestra is controlled beautifully under the baton of Vasyl Vasylenko, who delivers the sublime Puccini score with power, but with a tenderness and delicacy, attentively always following the actors on stage.

Korean Soprano Elena Dee excels in the title role, fluttering around the stage with real believability and vulnerability and her transformation from naïve love lost young girl to suicidal and destroyed woman is played with tenderness but also real power. Her poignant rendition of ‘One Fine Day’ at the beginning of Act 2 is exquisite.

Vitalii Liskovetsyi’s Pinkerton seems a little underpowered next to the diminutive V8 turbo beside him, but in a way this imbalance helps the butterfly to shine even brighter. Pinkerton, a cad who deflowers the 15-year-old Cio-Cio, deserts her then takes away her only child and drives her to suicide, he is quite rightly initially booed at the bows, only to be roundly applauded when he steps onto the apron with his co-star.

In the cancel culture we live in you have to wonder if this production’s days are numbered, featuring as it does dark themes, exploitation of vulnerable children, underage sex, suicide and the portrayal of an alternative culture. I can only urge you to go and see this, whilst you still can, as it travels the UK and bask in its wonderful music. If you only ever see one opera, see this one.

Running time – 2hrs 30 mins including 15min interval

Reviewer: Greg Holstead

Reviewed: 10th February 2023

North West End UK Rating: ★★★★