It was an unusual experience to be seeing an opera in Cardiff not by the WNO and not in the Millennium Centre. I have vivid memories of seeing a production of the Magic Flute in the New Theatre, squashed in the gods, soon after I first came to Cardiff in the late 1990s.
Thus I was intrigued to see what it would be like to experience a production of Puccini’s Madama Butterfly in a smaller venue again.
The opera of course is very famous and very familiar, and I have seen WNO productions in the past (though I steered clear of the most recent production with its modern-day setting) and a recent live transmission of an acclaimed production from the Royal Opera House London.
This was the first time I had seen an Ellen Kent opera, celebrated for touring and visually arresting productions. While not on the scale of the other productions I have seen this was in fact a virtue, as there was an intimacy to the staging which heightened the emotional impact. Of course the cast were key in this, most obviously Elena Dee’s delightful and moving performance as Cio-Cio San herself. She was a triumph and the night belonged to her. In addition I was especially impressed by Yelyzaveta Bielous as her maid Suzuki, who had real strength in her singing and performance, creating a touching bond with her mistress. Also impressive was Hovhannes Andreasyan as Pinkerton, Cio-Cio San’s American husband whom she is devoted too. Despite being the villain of the piece (the audience playfully booed him at the end) he imbued his character with appeal and desire.
Great use was made of shadow and lighting in the build up to their union. As the US consul Sharpless Vitalie Cebotari brought some humanity and awareness, even if more strength would have been welcome, though perhaps that was the point.
The main cast were ably supported by the rest of the performers, and it was novel to see such a young group.
The staging was of course appealing, with the house and blossoming garden dominating. The singing and music (conducted by Vasyl Vasylenko) were exquisite. The opera of course has a strong political dimension, with the dominating power of America, but this aspect was intensified by the fact that the production is undertaken with the Ukrainian Opera and Ballet Theatre, Kyiv. This provided a powerful political and emotional punch, the like of which I have not experienced in an opera production before.