glad I had time for this one...

short rehearsal tonight, so I decided to watch Madama Butterfly and it rocked my world. another sparse set with mostly screens that slid across the stage and a steep rake at the back. The main characters had fairly traditional costumes, but the chorus and a few smaller rolls had very modern styled, kinda cartoony looking costumes. (there's a good picture here, as well as an interesting review and debate about live vs. HD broadcast. being a recluse, I love, love, love the broadcasts. seriously, I tried years ago to watch a few non-HD productions and no, they are not the same and never held my attention, no matter how much I liked the opera.) (oh and more good pictures here, with puppets!) It's probably just me, but I really respond to the colors they use for lighting.

aaaanyhoo, I'll be processing this one for a few days I think. This is the only youtube clip I could find with English subtitles...



it's the love duet at the end of the first act.

and here's a bit with no words and that appears to have been taped in a theater, I'm guessing in Japan since the subtitles appear to be in that language.



They're waiting for Pinkerton to arrive. The woman playing Suzuki tore my heart out in this part. you can't see it thanks to the quality but she's got tears running down her face before she conks out and she just acted the crap out of this role the whole show. (I know, I'm so articulate)