Madama Butterfly: CANCELLED

Constrained, cocooned, caught in a moment of desire, Butterfly is irresistible. On tour in Japan, the American sailor Pinkerton cannot wait to bed his Japanese bride. But he’s already dreaming of an American life with an American wife. When his ship departs, he condemns Butterfly to purgatory.

This new production is by Australia’s most famous choreographer, Graeme Murphy. It’s a contemporary look at Puccini’s alluring heroine. He captures the grace and gravity of a tale that begins in rapturous love and ends in cruel heartbreak.

The production features floor-to-ceiling LED panels as a dynamic set. Fragments of film flutter across the stage. Puccini’s sublime music imbues this ageless story with beauty, from the irrepressible aria ‘Un bel dì’ (‘One fine day’) to the intense finale.

Hiromi Omura is the most sought-after Butterfly in the world. She returns in the title role along with Andeka Gorrotxategi as Pinkerton.