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Review: Leads shine in Utah Opera's 'Madame Butterfly'(Salt Lake Tribune, The Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Oct. 20--Why have crowds flocked to Puccini's "Madame Butterfly," with its disturbing plot and singularly unsympathetic male lead, for more than a century? Maybe it all comes down to the fact that people enjoy a good cry. Utah Opera's production certainly delivers that. And, even for the most cynical among us, the performances make it worth the trip. Leading the way are two remarkable singing actors: soprano Barbara Shirvis, who sings the title role of Cio-Cio-San, and tenor Scott Piper, as the caddish Lt. B.F. Pinkerton. Piper has arguably the more challenging task of helping us understand why Pinkerton behaves as he does, though ultimately we can't let the character off the hook for destroying Cio-Cio-San. The libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa does him no favors. Every time we think Pinkerton might not be as big a jerk as we'd supposed, along comes another objectifying reference to Cio-Cio-San as a plaything. But the tenderness and even wonder in Piper's performance at least keep us guessing whether he'll ultimately do the right thing. Shirvis may not have to work as hard to earn our sympathy, but illuminating Cio-Cio-San's motivations can't be easy, either. She plays the geisha with openness and optimism that draw us to her as strongly as they intrigue Pinkerton. The evening's highlight is Shirvis' performance of the showpiece aria "Un bel di" -- a delicately shaded rendition is all the more poignant for its restraint. The rest of the cast, under director Garnett Bruce and conductor Joseph Mechavich, delivers vocal security and dramatic depth. Kirsten Gunlogson and Andrew Oakden give three-dimensional portrayals of the faithful servant Suzuki and the kind consul Sharpless, respectively. Christopher Clayton, as the suitor Yamadori, has an engaging chemistry with Shirvis that makes Cio-Cio-San's devotion to Pinkerton all the more frustrating. Even Rachel Willis-Sorensen's brief appearance as Kate Pinkerton is touching. Earning special notice is 5-year-old Teague Salazar, who gives a remarkably disciplined performance as Cio-Cio-San's son. If Bruce had coached him to react more to his surroundings, the performance would have been perfect. But give the director credit for this: It's hard to imagine a more heart-wrenching presentation of the opera's final moments than the one he has staged. John Gunther's eye-popping set, Nicholas Cavallaro's lovely lighting, Liz da Costa's beautiful costumes, and strong outings from the Utah Opera Chorus and Utah Symphony add to the atmosphere. [email protected] To see more of The Salt Lake Tribune, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.sltrib.com. Copyright (c) 2008, The Salt Lake Tribune Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For reprints, email [email protected], call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA. |