The production of M. Butterfly was unlike anything I’ve seen before. It most likely seemed so out of the ordinary since a few days before we had seen a classical opera in which the whole thing was sung in Italian. The sudden transition from an opera that made me want to sleep to a Broadway show that had me laughing constantly made M. Butterfly seem that much more interesting.
One aspect of the production that intrigued me was the set design. In the beginning of the show I was wondering how they would be able to create a variety of different settings with those gray panels but the changes surprised me. It was similar to the set design in Madame Butterfly in which they also had those sliding panels. The difference was the wallpaper and patterns shown, which made it very clear that they were in different locations. I wondered how much practice it took to bring out the right panel each time and how many of them there were backstage.
Another thing that I enjoyed was the acting – when Rene would break the fourth wall, it made me feel like I was a part of the piece and drew me in more. For example, when Rene and Song argued over whether or not to show the audience a particular moment, I felt like I was actually there watching someone telling a story instead of watching a show. While we were watching, I kept wondering how the actors felt when they were nude in front of an audience for the first time. Overall, the show was very intriguing and it pulled me in so much that I didn’t even realize that hours had passed when we left.
