MADAME BUTTERFLY, WELSH NATIONAL OPERA, MAYFLOWER THEATRE, SOUTHAMPTON
HAVING never seen an opera before I wasn’t sure what to expect, but the Welsh National Opera’s Madame Butterfly was a great introduction to this captivating art form.
Giacomo Puccini’s tragic tale of a young geisha girl who marries Lieutenant Pinkerton of the United States Navy, converts to Christianity and fails to realise he has no intention of taking the marriage seriously is a heartwrenching story that has entertained audiences since the early 1900s.
Initially there were points when it seemed like the opera singers were too quiet and were drowned out by the orchestra, but these were resolved as the opera progressed. Cheryl Barker was great in the title role and her performance was so impassioned you couldn’t help but feel for Butterfly’s plight.
Tenor Gwyn Hughes Jones was so convincing in his portrayal of the callous, uncaring Pinkerton that he was booed at the end.
Corey Ross
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