05/31/14 – Madama Butterfly – 1:00pm

Lyric Opera of Chicago

MADAMA BUTTERFLY (in Italian)
by Giacomo Puccini
Libretto by:   Giuseppe Giacosa and Luigi Illica, after the short story by John Luther Long and the play by David Belasco

Sung in Italian, Approx. Length:  3 hours

Puccini’s heartbreaking tragedy comes to Lyric in a breathtakingly beautiful production.
Family, fortune, and honor—the geisha Cio-Cio-San forsakes them all for the callous American naval officer who calls her his “bride.” But what she sees as a lifetime commitment, he treats as just a fleeting pleasure.

Puccini’s Madama Butterfly features some of opera’s most famous music, including Cio-Cio-San’s heartbreaking “Un bel di” and the beautiful “Humming Chorus.”

Tony and Olivier Award winner Michael Grandage has produced landmark opera and musical-theater productions on both sides of the Atlantic. This Madama Butterfly is “subtle…refreshing…and breathtakingly beautiful.” Houston Chronicle

 

CAST:
Lt. B. F. Pinkerton:  Stefano Secco
Goro:   David Cangelosi
Suzuki:  Maryann McCormick
Sharpless:  Christopher Purves
Cio-Cio-San:  Patricia Racette
Imperial Commissioner:  Richard Ollarsaba
Official Registrar: Will Liverman
The Bonze:  David Govertsen
Prince Yamadori:  Anthony Clark Evans
Sorrow, Butterfly’s child:  Tye Pauley
Kate Pinkerton:  Laura Wilde

CONDUCTOR:  Marco Armiliato
STAGE DIRECTOR:  Michael Grandage
REVIVAL DIRECTOR: Louisa Muller
CHORUS:   Lyric Opera Chorus
CHORUS MASTER:  Michael Black