Minghella Stages Madam Butterfly at ENO, Nov 5-Dec 13

By: Jul. 19, 2005
Get Access To Every Broadway Story

Unlock access to every one of the hundreds of articles published daily on BroadwayWorld by logging in with one click.




Existing user? Just click login.

Oscar-winning film director Anthony Minghella (The English Patient, Cold Mountain) has signed on to stage a new production of Puccini's classic Madam Butterfly for the English National Opera (ENO) at the London Coliseum.  Tickets are now on sale for the opera, which will play 12 performances in repertory in the ENO Sky and Artsworld 2005/06 Season from November 5th to December 13th.

A British cast of 40 principals and chorus will be led by Mary Plazas (acclaimed by the Sunday Times as "one of the truly great opera artists in Britain today"), Gwyn Hughes Jones, Christopher Purves and Jean Rigby, supported by Alan Oke, Julian Tovey, Mark Stone and Victoria Simmonds.  Collaborating with Minghella on this new production, which will be sung in English, are conductor David Parry (who translated from the Italian with Minghella), associate director and choreographer Carolyn Choa, set designer Michael Levine, lighting designer Peter Mumford and New York fashion designer Han Feng.

"Madam Butterfly is one of the world's most popular operas. The exquisite beauty of Giacomo Puccini's timeless music underscores an emotional and thrilling story of devotion, honour and betrayal set in Nagasaki, Japan before the First World War. The exotic tale of the young Japanese geisha girl Cio-Cio-San ('Butterfly') and her unwavering love for a callous American Naval Lieutenant has captivated audiences worldwide for over 100 years," as production notes describe the opera.  David Henry Hwang's M. Butterfly and the Boublil-Schonberg musical Miss Saigon later drew from the story.

Minghella, who has made his reputation on polished film adaptations of novels, directed and wrote the screenplays for Cold Mountain, The Talented Mr. Ripley and The English Patient; he won a Best Director Oscar for the latter and his screenplay was also nominated (as it was for The Talented Mr. Ripley).  His other screen credits include Truly, Madly, Deeply and Play.  Minghella started out as playwright; he received the London Theater Critics Award in 1984 for Most Promising Playwright and in 1986 for Best Play with Made In Bangkok.

For tickets to Madam Butterfly, visit www.eno.org.  Opera lovers in the UK can call 020 7632 8300, too.
Vote Sponsor


Videos