Opera San Jose Paints a Dark Butterfly

Maria Natale as Butterfly. All photos by Pat Kirk.

Opera San Jose

Puccini's Madama Butterfly

April 26, 2019

One of the more popular misconceptions about opera is that you can separate “acting” and “singing” into discrete categories. In truth, the two operate in a constant dance, and if you’re not singing your acting and acting your singing, you’re not doing the job. Opera San Jose’s dark, assertive Madama Butterfly demonstrates how even a musical matter like vocal timbre can determine how a stage director (Brad Dalton) delivers his vision.

The obvious place to start is the happy (Act I) couple, Pinkerton and Cio-Cio-San. Dane Suarez possesses a classic lyric tenor, but one vested with just a bit of an edge – not all the way to spinto, but one capable of a little force. This serves to bring out Pinkerton’s early knuckleheadedness about cultural differences, his young man’s focus on his own needs. He’s a bit of a firecracker.

Renee Rapier as Suzuki, Maria Natale as Butterfly.

Our Cio-Cio-San, Maria Natale, takes this further. She, too, is a classic lyric, but with a fantastic capacity for ferocity at the top end. This really brings out Butterfly’s sometimes-overlooked strength, her determination in Act 2 to fight off the doubters and wait for her American husband to return. Her “Un bel di” seems to rise out of nowhere, as it should, and her later high pianissimos are delicious.

This timbral match makes the wedding-night duets into soaring tonal tangos. The sense of power and assertiveness is reinforced by Trevor Neal, who uses his rich baritone and natural presence to play a fiery Sharpless, who makes no bones about how much Pinkerton is ticking him off. Brad Dalton does a masterful job of taking the players he’s given and directing to their strengths.

Renee Rapier uses the depth of her mezzo to plumb the many lines of foreboding about her mistress, and to underscore the luscious unison passages with Butterfly in the blossom-strewing celebration of Pinkerton’s return. Mason Gates delivers an impish Goro, and Philip Skinner is truly imposing as The Bonze.

Trevor Neal as Sharpless, Mason Gates as Goro.

Adding to the sense of darkness is Kent Dorsey’s set, a spare black stage deploying various flying screens and backdrops. The vigil scene is particularly lovely, Butterfly, Suzuki and Sorrow gazing into the pinhole lights of a night sky. Atom Young did a splendid job with Sorrow, handling his many small assignments with ease (and it confounds me how anyone can get a child to stand still for that long).

Joseph Marcheso and his orchestra demonstrated an excellent sense of dynamism, from the playful lilt of the letter-reading scene to the grand sweeps of the love duet and the heart-stopping timpani-driven death scene. The production shows a distinct attention to traditional Japanese movement, guided by choreographer Hanayagi Jumasuga. Butterfly’s descent to the stage at Pinkerton’s return contains a different emotional gesture for each step. The death scene is a little bloodless. I understand not messing up valuable kimonos, but perhaps even a little stage blood on Pinkerton’s hands would have helped.

Maria Natale as Butterfly, Dane Suarez as
Pinkerton, Ezra Kramer as Sorrow.

I offer a special note of gratitude to OSJ’s general director Larry Hancock on the eve of his retirement. Going back to 1985 (!), Larry added an enormous amount to my opera education through intermission chats and official interviews, and no one has worked more tirelessly in service to an arts company. I have especially enjoyed the way he has led OSJ into recent ambitious ventures like this season’s production of Jake Heggie’s Moby-Dick. Enjoy your rest, Larry – you’ve earned it.

Opera San Jose’s 2019-20 season includes Strauss’s Die Fledermaus (Sept. 14-29), Humperdinck’s Hansel and Gretel (Nov. 16-Dec. 1), Verdi’s Il trovatore (Feb. 15-March 1) and Mozart’s The Magic Flute (April 18-May 3). 408/437-4450, operasj.org.

Michael J. Vaughn is the author of 21 novels, including the opera novels Gabriella’s Voice and Operaville.