Two aspects of M. Butterfly that intrigued me were the screens in set design and the portrayal of Chinese Opera. In the original Madame Butterfly, screens were used to depict Japanese culture and give the set a more realistic feel. The screens would just slide back forth like a regular screen would in real life. However, in M. Butterfly, they took the use of screens to another level. The screens had more degrees of freedom and could turn in various angles. This allows them to combine together to form rooms or hallways. The screens also had wallpaper or art, making the set so much more realistic. I remember when they first showed the Chinese Opera and the screens split in half. The top half fell down to reveal intricate art that resembled the Chinese Opera. I was astonished by this level of complexity since in Madame Butterfly, the screens served no other purpose than just being screens. The extra attention to detail in set design really made the play come to life.
The other aspect of the play that intrigued me was the portrayal of Chinese Opera. Everything about it was pretty accurate, which made me unbelievably happy. The use of Chinese Opera was such a clever way of depicting Chinese culture. In Madame Butterfly, Japanese culture was displayed as beautiful and submissive. The music, the cherry blossoms, the lanterns, everything was there to appeal to the audience’s aesthetics. However, in M. Butterfly, the use of Chinese Opera made Chinese culture seem like anything other than submissive. The music was loud, the art was a deep red, and there were scenes where people did acrobats and fought. Everything about it was the opposite of the quiet and soft Madame Butterfly. The intensity of the Chinese Opera made the depiction of France seem bland in comparison, which I also thought was interesting.
I completely agree with your comment on the incorporation and the constant presence of the elements of Chinese opera throughout the play. This, among other aesthetic and musical elements that M. Butterfly as a play is elevated from simple words into an amazing and immersive performance. I think that the Chinese opera in particular with its brash and striking musical tones to define a transition, change in tone, or intensity in a particular moment of a play was fascinating. It really helped transform a number of scenes and made them incredibly dramatic and visceral. Furthermore, it helped reinforce a theme or a recurrent image of Gallimard being deeply in love with Song, with their first encounter being at the Opera.