Second Thoughts
(Deadline considerations prevented this article's appearance in our November issue; however, we feel our readers would still enjoy reading it.)
Once again the team of Sir Alexander Gibson, conductor and Jonathan Eaton, Director, has produced a crowd-pleasing performance for Kentucky Opera and its growing audience. This time it was James (Giacomo) Puccini's "Madama Butterfly," one of the perennial favorites of opera goers everywhere.
Synopsis: Lt. Pinkerton, an American naval officer, on temporary duty in the land of the Rising Sun, enters what for him is a marriage of convenience and pleasure and for the 15-year-old geisha, Cio-Cio-San (Madama Butterfly), a permanent commitment. Her seriousness is evidenced by her abandonment of the Buddhist religion and references to America as "my country." Little more than a honeymoon takes place when Pinkerton and his ship sail away from Nagasaki not to return for three years. The American consul is faced with two (it develops) impossible tasks: convincing Pinkerton that Butterfly may be taking their marriage seriously and trying to tell her later that Pinkerton will not return and wants her to turn over their child to Pinkerton's American wife. Brokenhearted, she agrees, if Pinkerton will come for him. Before he arrives, the distraught Butterfly takes her own life. A continual stalwart for her has been her maid Suzuki, though she has feared for the worst.
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We talked with several of the principals after rehearsal. Director Jonathan Eaton, a native of Yorkshire, explaining its long-term popularity, says, "It's a slice of real life, it has great music, it is an authentic tragedy." Eaton, who is widely experienced in staging operas, is a Cambridge University graduate. He once put on 18 operas in 21 days. He observed that a stage director is "sometimes a traffic cop and other times psychologist and instructor." Watching him during rehearsal, we noted that he almost has to be "all things to all people." This opera's current local success owes much to Eaton's many talents, hard work and what he calls "a vision and belief in opera."
James Gage returned here to again show us why he is both a dedicated and extremely competent lighting designer. The contrasting times of early morning, full daytime and night are vital to entering into the opera, and Jim masterfully evoked these times and moods. The lighting is also an unfailing key to what is happening to the characters and, once again, the results were breathtaking. Paul Shortt's sets were both beautiful and believably Oriental, recalling this reviewer's 18 months in Japan.
Our Butterfly, Marianna Christos, explained one of the major difficulties of this role which keeps her on the stage for almost the entire length of the opera. "One has to keep in balance, the feelings which must permeate one's singing and the emotions which a singer must feel as a person about what she is expressing. For me, this was especially hard because I have a small child about the age of Butterfly's youngster." The role of Butterfly is also strenuous in that she has to express the joy of feeling in love, the trauma of being rejected by her family (an extended family) and the agony of being betrayed by Pinkerton. And while Mme. Christos did justice to these conflicting demands, Kathleen Hegierski's Suzuki at least was her peer.
For the most part, Peter Riberi was believable as the self-serving Pinkerton. Peter is a handsome young man with a voice that pleases and also carries out the acting demands well. Still, I wonder if he did not overdo Pinkerton's remorse since Pinkerton was not in love with Butterfly in the first place. As for our perennial favorite and dependable performer, Donn Everette, he came off remarkably well as the Consul, a role which, as he told Louisville Music News, "is easy to sing, difficult to act." He explained that as a human being, Sharpless is well aware of the character limitations of Pinkerton and the quite possible tragic outcome, especially when Butterfly will not let him tell her the whole story. Yet as the official representative of Pinkerton's country, he also has to act in his behalf.
Among the other roles, Roy Samuelsen was highly believable as the irate uncle and so was the somewhat officious marriage broker, depicted for us by Brian Scott. I found Melinda Cumberledge's portrayal of Pinkerton's American wife a bit stilted.
Finally, one should not forget the musical genius of Sir Alexander Gibson the conductor and generosity of Brown Forman Corporation plus all the tireless efforts, usually unseen, of the Kentucky Opera staff, the stage hands, the orchestra members and chorus. Thomson Smillie has gotten Kentucky Opera off to another promising season and Jerry Farrar continues to make my coverage enjoyable and easy.