Category 11/1 Response

Giacomo Puccini’s Madame Butterfly is based on John Luther Long’s short story “Madame Butterfly.” Long’s work, in turn, is based on Loti’s autobiographical novel. Needless to say, Cio-Cio-san’s tale has been expressed in many forms, each with its creative twists…. Continue Reading →

Bunraku puppetry was the traditional Japanese art form shown in the Madame Butterfly opera. In the opera, some house servants were represented by puppets, but the main puppet was the one that represented Butterfly’s toddler son. I found this technique… Continue Reading →

I throughly enjoyed the MET’s production of Madame Butterfly. I found the orchestra, the acting, and the singing to all be phenomenal. The lighting scheme was very intricate, and I admired the vivid color of the backdrop scene. I also… Continue Reading →

I initially thought that the use of a puppet was a poor choice on the opera’s part. Although the production attempted to mask the puppeteers by dressing them in black, it was hard to ignore that there were three people… Continue Reading →

Many would argue that the director incorporated bunraku puppetry for the sake of integrating a Japanese element in his Western opera. However, I believe that more than giving an Eastern touch to the performance, the director opted for a bunraku… Continue Reading →

Bunraku puppetry is an art, just like Noh, and takes years to master. Puppeteers study the craft extensively so that every move is deliberate and precise. The unapologetic nature of this puppetry parallels Madam Butterfly’s conscious decision to commit suicide…. Continue Reading →

Bunraku puppetry is an ancient art that originated in Japan. This form of puppetry still holds true to its original qualities by utilizing three puppeteers per puppet and having the central puppeteer lead the performance. At first, I found it… Continue Reading →

When I first saw the puppet child, I was a little surprised because all the characters were played by humans, and it therefore stood out a lot. I was also surprised that instead of the puppet being controlled by strings… Continue Reading →

Observing from afar, it was difficult to discern whether Madame Butterfly’s child was an actual child being pushed by three hooded figures, or whether it was a puppet. After the shock of the realization that it was indeed a child… Continue Reading →