M. Butterfly, I found, is a play that examines the human psyche and self-discovery. It was a very shocking production, even though I had knowledge of the play beforehand. Two aspects of the play intrigued me greatly:
Set Design and Acting— The design was peculiar. The stage was relatively small, yet the props took up very little room. This allowed the play to switch scenes quickly, which I found fitting because the story was narrated through the main character’s soliloquies. When he needed to fast-forward his story, or merely changed his thought, the stage went dark and, within seconds, a new scene was presented. I was really impressed by how quickly the stage crew was able to transform the scenes. It gave the production a cinematic feel, as if I were watching a movie; this is something I haven’t seen in most plays. Often times a production will stick with a constant background; this play had little (maybe 2 or 3) repeated scenes, which I found fascinating. The actors, too, intrigued me, as they had to change their clothing quickly. The actors also had to change their moods and style of speaking in an instant if they were in consecutive scenes; it was all very impressive. Another aspect of the play’s acting that I really enjoyed was 1) their consistent humor throughout the play and 2) their breaking of the fourth wall. Perhaps even more shocking than the play’s finale was how hilariously witty it was. I didn’t expect so many jokes! The actors also “broke the fourth wall” all throughout the play. Because Rene- the protagonist- was telling the audience the story of Madame Butterfly, it allowed for further interaction between the actors and the audience. In a later scene, Rene’s friend Mark jokingly tried to flirt with an audience member, combining the intrigue of humor and fourth-wall breaking.
I find your thoughts to be very similar to mine. I also greatly enjoyed the humor throughout the scene. I actually thought that was the best part about the play. Without the humor, it just wouldn’t be the same. The breaking of the fourth wall was also a strength of the play. I agree that the flirtation scene was one of the funniest and enjoyable parts of the play. I really thought it brought the character to life and we knew exactly what kind of person he was. Finally, the switching of props was also quite amusing. I too thought that they switched everything very quickly and efficiently, allowing us to experience every part of the play smoothly.
I agree with what you said about how the play was able to easily change the set design to transition quickly between different scenes. The way the panels were set up in a certain way made the best use out of the small space that the stage had. There were also times where the actors or actresses would freeze midway for Gallimard to explain his input and it was impressive the way that they were able to stay so still. I also liked their humor and breaking down of the fourth wall that most of the actors had throughout the play, especially the interactions that Gallimard had with the audience.