One fine day....

Many, many years ago, I watched a loooong show on tv and to my absolute disgust, it brought me to tears. A few years later, I watched another version of the same story and it again brought me to tears. And then I watched it live and, surprise surprise, I cried yet again. What is this cry-worthy story? It's Madama Butterfly by Puccini!

While I know the story very well and obviously loved it, I know it was mightily disliked by the rest of the people who watched it. I mean, we're seeing a story of an American sailor (B.F. Pinkerton), who goes around the world picking up and abandoning chicks, then goes and marries a 15yo girl in Japan (Butterfly). I know that in real life I'd smack any girl who waited for three years for a worthless bastard who's obviously abandoned her, I can't help crying when we see Butterfly stay up all night night waiting for Pinkerton to come and realising once and for all that he isn't coming back, and again when they *offer* to take her son off her. That's just horrible!!! The girl has lived most of her life in shame - we're never told why her Father was 'invited' to commit hari-kari, just that he did. Two more shames, it's just too much!!!

The production was of the 1997 Moffatt Oxenbould version, very lovely sets and interesting choreography. Dimply Nicole Youl was a young-looking and cute Butterfly, I was really impressed with her Un Bel Di! Shivers, I tell you! Rosario La Spina...nice voice but there were times when he was being drowned out by the orchestra. I noticed his repertoire is mostly the heroic type. Ummm...he doesn't look the heroic type. He's more like Pavarotti without the voice to blow you away and distract from the looks. I don't want to be (more) mean but is it possible to do something about this?

Something else that annoyed me was the way the way the various people dressed in white who acted as pieces of furniture/servants/whatever (they were wrapped in white, kinda like mummies. I'm tempted to call them Mummies) dragged their feet when they walked. I know it must have been a stage direction because they all did it. But the sound was very grating and distracting!

Regardless, I liked it verra verra much and care not that some people (mostly the guys) were glad that it was over. And so now I present Kiri Te Kanawa singing the main aria, Un Bel Di.
Toodles! (picture source)