About the Show
Opera Orlando invites you to experience the enduring story of Puccini’s Madame Butterfly, as young Cio-Cio San navigates an impossible intersection of imperialism, infatuation, and maternal instinct. Cio-Cio San is newly married to an American naval officer who almost immediately returns to the States. She is certain he will return to her and waits three years to find out if she is right. While navigating an ever-changing world that views her as a temporary convenience, Cio-Cio San's devotion and selflessness remain constant as she leverages her limited power to protect her child.
Enjoy Puccini’s glorious music at the world-renowned Steinmetz Hall and see the opera that served as the inspiration for the hit Broadway musical Miss Saigon. Soprano Yeawon Jun makes her Opera Orlando debut in the title role, joined by tenor Isaac Hurtado singing the role of Lt. Pinkerton, a role for which his “passionate intensity” has been praised. Stage director Rebecca A. Herman and conductor Kalena Bovell make their Company debuts leading an exquisite cast featuring the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra in the pit, Opera Orlando Apprentice and Studio Artists, Chorus, and Youth Company on stage.
For more information, visit Opera Orlando.
Performance Notes
MUSIC BY: Giacomo Puccini
LIBRETTO BY: Giuseppe Giacosa & Luigi Illica
SUNG IN: Italian with English and Spanish supertitles
RUN TIME: 2 hours, 45 minutes + Intermission
AGE ADVISORY: PG-13
PRE-SHOW TALK: Held on stage 50 minutes prior to each performance.
STUDENT RUSH TICKETS: available to students up to two hours before each performance. Valid for up to two tickets per valid student ID.
Performance Synopsis
Nagasaki, Japan | 1904
Lt. B.F. Pinkerton, a U.S. Navy officer stationed in Nagasaki, arranges to marry Cio-Cio San (Madame Butterfly), a young girl from a once-prominent family, through the broker Goro. Pinkerton treats the marriage lightly, dismissing the American consul Sharpless's warning that she may take it more seriously than he does. Cio-Cio San, for her part, has secretly converted to Christianity for her new husband and believes in the marriage completely. When her family learns of her conversion, her uncle, the Bonzo, publicly denounces her, and her relatives abandon her. Pinkerton comforts her, and the two consummate their marriage.
Three years later
Cio-Cio San waits faithfully for Pinkerton's return. When Suzuki voices doubt that he will ever come back, Cio-Cio San answers with unshaken certainty that one fine day, his ship will appear on the horizon.
— Intermission —
The next day
Sharpless arrives with a letter from Pinkerton but struggles to deliver its news. Goro interrupts the proceedings, bringing a wealthy suitor, Prince Yamadori, to see Cio-Cio San. She refuses the Prince, revealing she has a young son by Pinkerton, Dolore. When a ship's cannon signals Pinkerton's arrival, she and her servant Suzuki joyfully prepare the house for his return.
But the ship also brings Kate Pinkerton — his American wife. Cio-Cio San realizes she has waited three years for a man who stopped waiting long ago. The fine day she promised herself has arrived, and it is not what she imagined. With very little left to hold onto, she must choose.
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