Madame Butterfly
polished, exciting
Review by Schoyler Houser
It would be easier, paradoxically, to be less critical of
Friday evening's performance of Madame Butterfly if it had
been less good than it was. The cast was competent, polished
and musically and dramatically exciting. At their best they
were so good that they brought the production's weaknesses
into high relief.
What are the production's strengths? First and foremost,
the singing. Top honors for the eveing go to William Wallis as
Pinkerton. His voice has improved immensely since last year;
the high notes are now free and ringing and clear. And loud-he
had no trouble filling Kimball Hall, cutting through orchestra,
chorus and occasionally the other principals.
Marilyn Cronin, as Cho-Cho-San, didn't get into high gear
vocally speaking, until the middle of Act II. But when she was
good she was very, very good, with lovely high pianissimos and
the strength and richness required for the dramatic passages in
the last act. She likewise spun out some beautiful legato lines.
Cindy McNally's Suzuki was a delight, vocally and visually;
her Flower Duet with Cronin was a high point of the evening.
John Brandstetter, as Sharpless, was consistently inaudible at
the bottom of his range a great pity, as his voice is a fine one
and his characterization was very well conceived.
Special mention must also be made of the chorus; their
sound was beautiful, fresh and warm. There have been worse
in major opera houses.
The set and lighting were, of course, another major asset
They were vintage Dean Tschetter - almost distractingly lavish
and pretty.
So with all these good things, what was there to complain
about? Primarily, the director's view of the opera as a comedy
that somehow goes sour in the middle. Thus the first act was
riotously busy, with drunken relatives - and a hyperactive
marriage broker playing for laughs and distracting us from the
lovers.
Cronin didn't help matters; she failed to distinguish
between being young and in love and being simpleminded, and
spent the whole act simpering and smiling like an airline
stewardess. Admittedly, this approach made her
transformation into womanhood in Act III all the more
dramatic, but is this really what Puccini intended?
Then there was the awful translation they used. The cast's
diction, unfortunately, was superb, so every single banality
(sample: "A little liquorwill do it quicker") came through
crystal clear.
But was it, on the whole, a good performance? Yes, it was a
very good performance. Let's have more like it. Soon.
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For
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MONDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 1972
THE DAILY NEBRASKAN
PAGE 7