I went to see Scottish Opera's production of Madame Butterfly last night, which is great because I'd been wanting to see it ever since I found out it was on (way back in January). I had thought of trying to get a group together to go for my birthday but the logistics of arranging the tickets and getting a night to suit folk was too much for me to contemplate so I didn't bother. As luck would have it I received an email offer from those lovely people at 5pm.co.uk for stall seats at £10. Bargainous!
The seats we ended up with were pretty dang good as well, M 11 and 12. The supertitles on the near side were slightly obscured by the rails on the box but, as I don't need specs, I was fine. Kirsty was a little less fortunate because she forgot her spectacles but she's seen it before so wasn't too bothered. The lyrics are mostly mince anyway! As long as you get the gist of the plot you're fine.
So, the plot...
Madamemoiselle Butterfly is a noble hard on her luck who has had to turn to being a geisha to support herself. This could be true, it might not be - she sings about how everyone in Japan is from noble birth and she knows what it was like to be rich. I think she probably did because she's such an idiot really. Sorry to be blunt but she is. Anyway, she 'marries' this American guy - Pinkerton. He's under the impression it's a nice little arrangement with a geisha but she's looking at it as actual matrimony. She's only supposed to be but 15 years old you see. Heh, the lady singing the part was one of these large sopranos so when she sang that you kind of thought "15 what??? 15 stone?"
Anyway, despite the sniggering from the audience, she goes on to sing about how she's giving up her ancestors and becoming a Christian for her lovely American. So naturally, all her relations disown her. Bummer, but she's in love so she doesn't care. So her and this Pinkerton chap set up home after a lot of singing about moonlight and love and so on and so forth.
Cut to three years later. She's waiting for Pinkerton to come back... and there's a three year old toddler tottering about the place. The neighbourhood is rife with rumours that she's a big slut and nobody but her believes Pinkerton is coming back. The 'marriage broker' keeps trying to set her up with other men but she refuses them all. She sings the lovely aria about what it will be like the day he does come back and how she'll hide from him and when he finds her they'll be so happy. The audience are sitting there going 'Yeah right' and remembering the hara-kire dagger that she made a fuss of in Act 1...
So Pinkerton does turn up back in Nagasaki, with his new wife in tow. Dun dun daaaah! He didn't know she had his son but when he finds out it is decided that he and his new wife will take the child. The snivelling coward doesn't even want to speak to Butterfly and runs from the house leaving the new wife to speak to her about the baby. Butterfly realises what's going on, kisses her son goodbye, blindfolds him and then cuts her throat with the dagger. Pinkerton finds her lying in a pool of her own blood and that's the end. Not a terribly jolly story.
The opera itself is superb though. I didn't enjoy it as much as La Boheme and I didn't cry as much as at Turandot but I did have the urge to climb up on the stage and punch Pinkerton's lights out. I'm very surprised that the consul friend in the script was so tolerant of his terrible behaviour, especially seeing as it is made clear that he has a soft spot for Butterfly himself. The chap who played Pinkerton did get booed when he took his curtain call but he hammed up the villain pose for it so I don't think he minded all that much.
That Puccini's a geeeeniouuwse man!
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