In the production of M Butterfly, there were numerous aspects of the play that caught my attention but two of the biggest ones were the ideas of nudity and setting. Nudity is a concept that’s been seen and taught as being taboo and sensitive, and perhaps which is why it caught my attention. M Butterfly takes what’s meant to be censored and shows it in a very real and normal light. The actors aren’t only brave but comfortable with showing their bodies, and it’s especially important in the context of the play where an authentic story is being told. It gains the audience’s trusts because nothing is hidden. Additionally, it reinforces this idea of irony in expecting the norm. Additionally, since gender was one of the biggest themes in the play, I felt the showcase of the body of very important to the play and I noticed this pattern that very gender-specific nudity was shown. Also, it was interesting to see how the French Diplomat loved the singer when he had clothes on but didn’t when he was naked even though, “the skin is the same.” The setting was also really interesting. They utilized a series of boards that acted as a blockade from the rest of the stage. They brought focus into a certain aspect or part of the scene and this was excellently complimented with the lighting. This was also the first time I saw the setting set right in the moment right in front of me once again keeping nothing hidden from the audience. I found the setting to be very balanced, it did add to the scene and it gave it much context but it wasn’t too distracting from what was going on stage. Additionally, the use of the boards was effectively used in the first and last scenes because it successfully represented confinement, which does feel like walls caving in.
I really like how you talked about the use of nudity. In shows, especially in such a well known area of the city, we very rarely see any kind of nudity or any type of affection out of the normal “woman loving man” or “man loving woman.” When we do get stories of love, there is never any actual action to occur and it always feels like such a fantasy or fake. But, in M. Butterfly that was not the case. Just as David Hwang wanted to challenge gender norms and the idea of gender, he allowed for the creation of a uncensored and raw experience that you could not find anywhere else. This play really sheds a light on how stigmatized the nude form is in shows and in public while pushing the comfort of the audience and making them realize it is okay to feel uncomfortable.