Beauty and Heartbreak at the Opera

A mesmerizing performance by the cast of Madame Butterfly tonight. Tonight was High School night and I've never heard more uproarious applause. The curtain came down and the crowd was left in the dark, but as soon at the curtain rose again to show Cynthia Clayton Vasquez as "Butterfly," the hall filled with the wild screams of High School girls. That sound could only be rivaled with the appearance of Edward Cullen at a sweet sixteen birthday party. While he may not have been Edward Cullen, or take his shirt off, Sorrow, played by Akira Bunge, nearly stole the show! "He" was the heart-throb of the night!! No doubt the girls swooned with continuous "awww's" at Sorrow's every entrance. The ending suicide of Butterfly left few dry eyes and the students came out chattering about the cruelty of Pinkerton. Many said they were waiting for a Disney ending. My comment to them: "It's not an opera until someone dies!" Perhaps a bit morbid and skewed, but it makes for a good punchline!

The stage tonight was alight with color. The stage stair-stepped up to the back with a golden red pathway curving around. The costumes are a wash with golds and earthe colors, contrasted by bright reds for Butterfly. The silks shown brilliantly under the lights of the opera house. It was a vibrant yet perfectly simple staging - perfectly Japanese.