MADAM BUTTERFLY
RUSSIAN State Opera Company attracted a full house and took the Weymouth audience by storm with their production of Puccini’s notable opera - based upon a true story - of a beautiful geisha’s innocent trust and love betrayed by an American naval officer in Japan.
Sung in Italian with English surtitles, this fully orchestrated live production complete with large chorus of singers tells of the passion and anguish of 15 year old Cio-Cio San who is swept off her feet by the lustful and scheming Pinkerton who upon marrying her, promptly disappears from her life, only to return three years later with an American wife.
The all-Russian cast was led for this performance by Olga Georgieva as Madam Butterfly whose soaring soprano brought emotional depth and pathos to the demanding role as she moved from joy and happiness to despair and anguish, a truly remarkable performance.
The villainous Pinkerton was portrayed by Viachaslau Lesik with appropriate cynicism which earned him heartfelt boos at the curtain calls, definitely not the usual response for an opera audience but which strikingly demonstrated just how much the performance had resonated with the packed house.
The enthusiastic reception given to this classical work clearly demonstrates that the people of Weymouth and beyond need and want the Pavilion theatre to provide them with quality entertainment, a message that the local authorities may wish to consider when making decisions about the future of this iconic venue.
MARION COX
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