MADAMA BUTTERFLY

Butterfly Transformed 

Like many acclaimed and well-loved operas, Madama Butterfly portrays stories and characters from cultures other than the creators’ own. While empathy for others remains an essential starting point for artistic creation and one of the hallmarks of opera’s musical immediacy, the European art form has also grappled with a history of misrepresentation and appropriation of non-Western cultures. As diverse creative voices come to the fore, new storytellers are reclaiming narratives, shifting agency, and transforming audiences’ understanding of these timeless works.  

Without altering the original libretto or score, stage director Mo Zhou offers compelling solutions to the historically reductive ”unrequited love” narrative crafted at the turn of the 20th century. By shifting the time period four decades forward, this production of Madama Butterfly gains a striking immediacy, especially in the 80th anniversary year of the bombing of Nagasaki.

In postwar Japan, approximately 45,000 Japanese women married American GIs, setting their hopes on a better life in an uncertain and rapidly changing world. Many immigrated to the United States, often pressured to assimilate into postwar American society; others were left behind, raising children alone in the shadow of occupation as outcasts of both worlds. Zhou’s conception of Madama Butterfly invites us to reflect on these untold stories: how many women, like Cio-Cio-San, were left behind? How many children, like Sorrow, were abandoned between two nations, two identities, and two impossible dreams?  

In grounding Puccini’s tragedy within this historical reality, Zhou transforms what was originally built on exotic fantasy into something achingly human, a meditation on survival, displacement, and the illusion of the American Dream. 

Led by a creative team of first-generation immigrant Asian women in America, this production deepens the backbone of Puccini’s music through dramaturgy that resonates with lived experience and historical truth. “This is not a love story,” Zhou says. “It’s a story of survival, and one we must keep telling, truthfully, intentionally, and with care.”

Japanese Melodies in Italian Opera: Tribute or Cultural Appropriation?

Composer Giacomo Puccini saw David Belasco’s play Madame Butterfly: A Tragedy of Japan while he was in London. While the composer spoke no English and could not understand the text, he was captivated by the heroine’s story.  

Unfortunately, the play itself relies on cultural stereotypes and offensive dialogue. Although the opera’s libretto, written by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa, addresses these wrongs, and Puccini condemns American imperialism both through his musical writing and depiction of Pinkerton, some academics argue the incorporation of authentic and imitative Japanese melodies into operatic writing can misrepresent Japanese culture.

Many listeners may hear only beauty and expression in the musical score; indeed, Puccini was gifted at capturing universal emotions through sound. When listening for the first time to the music, however, stage director Mo Zhou describes the impressions of her Japanese design team in this way: they felt as if the music “picks and chooses” from “every possible [element of] Japanese folklore.” 

At the time Puccini was writing Madama Butterfly, Japan had recently opened trade and political relations with the West after two centuries of a foreign policy of isolation and tightly controlled borders. In July 1853, American warships arrived in Edo Bay and their commander threatened the Japanese shogunate with military force to sign a treaty for diplomatic relations. The event is known as the Perry Expedition, or 黒船来航, kurofune raikō, Arrival of the Black Ships.

Seven months later, the Americans returned for a response, and, after weeks of negotiations, the Convention of Kanagawa was signed, which opened two ports to American ships, provided for the care of shipwrecked sailors, and established an American consulate at Shimoda. 

Other nations followed with treaties of their own, and trade soon expanded between Japan, Europe, and North America. The event catalyzed major internal and external political shifts for, as well as the industrialization of, Japan. As Japanese goods became more widely available in Europe, Japanese music became an important influence for European composers, such as Puccini.  

Puccini’s representation of Japanese culture in the music of Madama Butterfly was informed by his own musical research and discussions with Japanese individuals although presented through the lens of a late Romantic operatic musical idiom. (Think of Broadway musicals or Disney portrayals of heroes and heroines from different eras or cultures: sung in English with a contemporary American pop musical language.) While pianist Kumi Shimozaki has argued that Puccini thoughtfully incorporated Japanese melodies that reflect the thematic content of the opera, some listeners may listen to the music with an uncomfortable feeling of witnessing cultural appropriation. 

Stage director Mo Zhou, however, found purpose in this aspect of the opera as well: “Act I is almost like a theme park,” Zhou explains. “All the Japanese characters are putting on a performance for the Americans—playing into their expectations, wearing costumes, acting the part. That’s how we justify the Orientalism in the music. They’re giving Pinkerton the show he wants to see.” But as the opera progresses, the artifice fades. “By Act II and III, everything becomes painfully real. The illusion is shattered.”

When listening to and watching Madama Butterfly, consider:

• Who is telling whose story?  

• How are they telling it?  

• For what purpose?  

In recent years, opera creators prefer to share their own stories or to collaborate with those whose stories they would like to tell. As such, opera also presents an important opportunity to think critically about art, as well as to go beyond the opera itself and learn more about the history, language, traditions, and stories of those represented. 

We encourage our listeners to continue the discussion before and after the performance by exploring resources, which can be found online or at your local library, such as these:

Puccini: His International Art | Learn more here and here 

This English-language translation of Michele Girardi’s comprehensive resource is used by scholars and musicians alike. The book begins with a biographical overview of Puccini’s life and then explores his operas through musical interpretation, historical context, and biographical detail.  

San Diego OperaTalk! with Nick Reveles: Madama Butterfly | Watch here 

San Diego Opera’s longtime director of Education and Community Engagement shares the history of the opera along with musical highlights, critical acclaim, recommended recordings, and more in this 30-minute featurette.

Japanese Songs in Madama Butterfly | Learn more and listen here 

An outline of Japanese songs in Madama Butterfly: sheet music, recordings, translations, and contextual information about the songs’ meanings, as well as where they can be heard in the opera. 

Madama Butterfly: A Japanese Perspective | Read here 

Japanese pianist Kumi Shimozaki reflects on the history of the opera Madama Butterfly and its links with Japanese culture. The author argues that, given the historical context, Puccini more thoughtfully incorporated Japanese musical ideas to greater dramatic effect than other composers of similar works. 

Seeing Myself in Madama Butterfly | Read here 

This moving essay by Nikkei-Canadian baritone Luka Kawabata touches on the author’s upbringing, Japanese cultural practices found in Madama Butterfly, and the evolution of Asian representation in classical music. 

The Butterfly Process | Learn more and watch here 

Spurred by a postponed production of Puccini’s Madama Butterfly for Boston Lyric Opera’s 2020-21 Season, BLO hosted six public discussions, facilitated by Phil Chan, co-founder and author of Final Bow for Yellowface. These discussions explore the historical impact and current producing realities of Madama Butterfly.

Final Bow for Yellowface | Learn more here

Celebrated arts leader and dance educator Phil Chan discusses (Orientalism in the arts, cultural appropriation, and yellowface (the historical practice of non-Asian performers using exaggerated costume and make-up effects to portray Asian characters). He outlines best practices for professional arts organizations to navigate issues around race for a growingly diverse 21st century audience.  

The War Bride Project | Learn more and watch here 

After documenting her mother’s story in the film Fall Seven Times, Get Up Eight: The Japanese War Brides, Kathryn Tolbert, daughter of a Japanese war bride, spent a year traveling the US to record interviews with others like her mother. Funded by a grant from Vassar College, this oral history archive is the result. 

Puccini the Thinker | Learn more here 

This intriguing volume, written by John Louis DiGaetani, is dedicated to dispelling the myth within some circles that Puccini was “more heart than mind”. The author demonstrates, opera by opera, the dramatic and intellectual content within each work and that these qualities need not be overshadowed by the composer’s widely recognized genius for melody-writing.

Puccini: His Life and Works | Learn more here 

Written by one of the foremost scholars of Italian opera, Julian Budden examines Puccini’s life and chronicles the story behind each of his operas. The text is rich with historical detail and best suited for those with a strong familiarity with opera or a passion for in-depth reading. 

Puccini Without Excuses | Learn more here 

This accessible read by frequent guest of the Metropolitan Opera radio broadcasts William Berger begins with a short biography of the composer and then presents a Coles Notes version of each opera. He focuses on the basics of characters and plot, and the significance of key details in the story and music, best suited for those who like to learn about the nuts and bolts of a show.