MADAMA BUTTERFLY PERFORMANCE WELL RECEIVED
        
BY CAROL ELLIOTT
I haven’t been to many operas because, like most people, the words are not sung in English therefore I figure why bother since I won’t understand what’s going on anyway. Last Saturday night was opening night for First Coast Opera’s production of Puccini’s Madama Butterfly, sung in Italian, with English subtitles. I went and now I am sold on opera. Artistic director Barbara Norris and husband, Anthony Fast, Executive Director and Producer, provided the audience with an audio/visual feast!

Held in the modern Performing Arts Center of the Pedro Menendez High School in St. Augustine, there wasn’t a bad seat in the house and they were comfortable as well. The room is panoramic which is perfect for dubbing subtitles over the stage because your eye doesn’t have to go far for the translation. Sometimes, too much of the acting can be missed if you pay too much attention to reading the projected lines. Besides, says Fast, “The audience doesn’t really need a line-by-line translation to understand what is going on because the music is so beautiful.” I have to agree.

The story takes place in Japan. United States Navy Lieutenant B. F. Pinkerton is about to leave Japan to go back to America, but before he does, he leases a house on top of a hill overlooking Nagasaki Harbor. He arranges for a marriage between himself and a Geisha girl named Cio-Cio-San. He only intends this marriage to be for the duration of his tour in Japan, but she thinks it's for life. “Butterfly,” the name given to her from Pinkerton’s attempt at the English translation, is pregnant.  She waits for Pinkerton to return and in the meantime is raising their child.  He shows up a few years later with his American wife which brings the story to a tragic ending.

Guest director/conductor Ron De Fesi led a thirteen piece orchestra through the score. Critically acclaimed soprano Karen Adair, sang Butterfly’s script while world-renowned tenor Paul Pitts, played Pinkerton. From the moment she came on stage, we, the audience, loved her. Adair, as Butterfly, with an engaging smile, expressive eyes and a clear, strong voice, told her sad tale without inhibition. Pitts, as well, had us in his spell. The two sang an amazing duet just before the end of Act I. I couldn’t help but notice De Fesi’s profile at this time. His body was shaking as he raised his hand with fingertips together as a signal for the orchestra and actors to give it all they’ve got.

Before the end of Act II, the audience was so moved by the music rising in pitch and volume that, combined with the action on stage, we began to applaud before someone began to shout “Bravo” repeatedly. The beat of a marching drum announced the ship’s return to the harbor while the violins told the story of love. Music from the cello under lied the lines, “My love, my faith prevail” followed by more enthusiastic applause, then a five minute intermission.

Before Act III we heard a five minute orchestral piece. Knowing how the story ends, I want to prolong the music and postpone the inevitable. The curtain opens. Butterfly is still in the same position she was before the curtain went down, but now it is dawn.
Mezzo-soprano Janet Rabe-Meyer as Suzuki, the handmaid, convincingly filled this supporting role. All through the opera, Rabe-Meyer’s rich voice and powerful stage presence contributed to the seemingly easy flow of the plot. When she and the American wife Kate, (soprano Pamela Ferry Tsitos) shared a moment on stage beneath the one-dimensional tree, we could feel the sadness as Kate’s facial expressions complimented Suzuki’s slumped body, as a person would do when experiencing an all time low.

The costumes and scenery are amazing. Sean Patrick O’Casey, well-known for his craft, always pays attention to the closest details, from hair pieces and hats to cumber bunds in this play. The wardrobe is so colorful it almost seems hard to believe the characters are so melodramatic. The scenery is serene. The pagoda replica is wonderfully realistic. To give the illusion of being on top of a hill, real shrubs are set along a railed pathway that leads to the house. The sky beyond is breathtaking. I noticed it especially in Act III when a gleam of light seemed to penetrate the clouds. You could almost smell the fresh mountain air. Two rice screens are removed for Acts II and III. That is the only scenery change that was necessary apart from the addition of a table. Stage Manager Stephen Mitchell is a senior at Flagler College majoring in Theatre Arts.

Percussionist John Mayfield used an assortment of instruments, one of them being the gong. I wondered when we would hear it. I found out. It was the very last sound we heard and it signified the end. Bring a handkerchief!

The opera is two and a half hours long with two intermissions, so plan to be there for three hours. There are two performances, Saturday February 1 at 8 p.m. and Sunday, February 2 at 3 p.m. at the Pedro Menendez Performing Arts Center located on Route 206 in St. Augustine.  Call now for tickets, 904-471-8971.