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2012
Theatre
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Always been a fan but never seen them live. I was ecstatic to be part of this epic event. WOW!
London,
Nick Kimberley's rating
Reader rating
Dir: Anthony Minghella.
Cast: English National Opera, Judith Howarth (Cio-Cio-San), Christine Rice (Suzuki), Edward Gardner (cond)
Description: Edward Gardner conducts Puccini's tragic tale, starring Judith Howarth as Cio-Cio-San and Christine Rice as Suzuki. Sung in English.
Trains: Tube: Leicester Square/Charing Cross 
, Tube / Bus: 3, 6, 9, 11, 12, 13, 15, 23, 24, 29, 53, 77a, 88, 91, 139 
Phone: 0871911 0200
Website: www.eno.org
Email: access@eno.org
Better late than never: Madam Butterfly
As a film-maker, Anthony Minghella was essentially a realist but with a penchant for spectacular images that sometimes got in the way of narrative clarity. The same problem afflicts his only opera production, English National Opera’s 2005 staging of Puccini’s Madam Butterfly. Since Minghella’s death last year, responsibility for reviving the production has passed to his wife, Carolyn Choa, the original choreographer, who has changed little for this third revival.
The opening and closing images have a wide-screen grandeur that takes the breath away. In between, however, there is a combination of cool elegance and tawdry glamour that is too often at odds with the emotional involvement that Puccini demands before all else. Perhaps unexpectedly, using a life-size puppet to embody Butterfly’s silent son works well, no doubt because the singers are trapped in an otherwise fussily conventional staging.
All of this would matter less in a well-sung performance but in musical terms, this opening night was short on panache. With conductor Edward Gardner pushing the orchestra hard, Bryan Hamel sings the villainous Pinkerton with more volume than grace, while Judith Howarth paints Butterfly with rather too broad a brush, only finding the right tone in the opera’s final moments. Better late than never, but there is more to Madam Butterfly than this production finds.
Until 4 July (0871 911 0200, www.eno.org).
Details are correct at the time of publication - please check with venue before booking.
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Madam Butterfly I will never forget. I had the most incredible evening. the performance was outstanding and brought tears to my eyes.
I shared the experience with a wonderful guy.
- Debbie G, chatham kent uk
Saw show 20/06 with John Marshall as Pinkerton. Thoroughly enjoyed the performance. I thought the puppeteers were amazing who operated Sorrow. Sumptuous costumes and sets, the technical details seemed flawless. Well done.
- A Lucas, London, England.
