The opera. It is an interesting art form. In this day and age, film is king of the entertainment world and subtlety the hallmark of award-winning acting. Where does opera fit in? It is a heightened art form, typically involving high stakes scenarios and free-wheeling emotions. For a singer to perform such challenging music requires great body energy, so how does that marry with a naturalistic approach to acting? In many ways it doesn't, and the viewer is asked to accept certain limitations in staging and performance. A clever production, though, will cater to these requirements and present them in a way that they do not appear limiting at all. This was one such production.
I have been regularly attending the opera for several years now, and it has taken me all this time to adjust to many of its conventions. NZ Opera's new production of Madame Butterfly, then, surprised me with its restraint. It is an undeniably beautiful production, and its set is versatile as well as structurally rather simple. The costumes are classic colonial dress, and many floral kimonos. These look good and provide a rather basic platform that informs time and place, but only serves the story and never overshadows it.
The cast achieve a balance between nuanced character work and heightened dramatic choices that fits neatly in between the worlds of filmic realism and melodrama. Similarly, the set is at once suitably bold and visually arresting, and maintains the appearance of a practical, believable dwelling.
The cast achieve a balance between nuanced character work and heightened dramatic choices that fits neatly in between the worlds of filmic realism and melodrama. Similarly, the set is at once suitably bold and visually arresting, and maintains the appearance of a practical, believable dwelling.
Overall, this is a smart, simple production of a beloved story that is not fussy or elaborate and fixes our attention on the story and our title character. She and the core cast embrace a sometimes naturalistic style of acting, with the moments of histrionics reserved for the most dramatic moments. This production achieves a style that felt true to historical conventions of opera and simultaneously caters to a modern audience. Exquisite.
See this production if you enjoy operatic music and are ready to witness one woman's heart-breaking wrestle with love.
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