I found the use of panels and a moving set in this play absolutely amazing in not only demonstrating turmoil or a particular emotion when paired with music and a particular set of images, but also in helping to emphasize a sense of, to me, motion. This can be seen in almost all the opera scenes and the scenes of the Cultural Revolution, which would simply not be the same if it was simply just a handful of people moving on the stage. The rapidly shifting panels, combined with powerful music, helped give me a sense that a momentous shift was occurring. The use of panels during the Cultural Revolution, which displayed images of Mao Zedong and Chinese communist propaganda in the play is a prime example that really brought me into the “eye of a revolution”. In contrast, the panels also served to provide a practical change in scenery and inspire other feelings which can be seen in the scene in which Gallimard was in jail. The drab, grey panels helped provide a sense of darkness and isolation that went beyond plain incarceration.
Another very interesting aspect of M. Butterfly as an art form was the artful use of perspective to enhance the play, which served both a practical and aesthetic function. The practical function was to help move the story along and present multiple dimensions to the plot, which aided the viewer in their understanding of M. Butterfly. However, the aesthetic role that it played in the play was to help attendees to the play be able to see the perception of their relationship in Gallimard and Song’s heads, and their contrast to reality. In multiple scenes, the eclectic shift from first-person perspectives helped shed light on the rapturous misunderstanding between Gallimard and Song’s understanding of their relationship. I thought this was incredibly fascinating and something I had not seen personally in a play before. These elements of M. Butterfly provided an unforgettable experience, but it not does supersede the stunning performances of the actors who played Song and Gallimard, who manipulate these elements in order to inspire a sentiment of happiness and struggle in the beginning with a sense of deep emotion, pain, and separation in the play’s end.
