In 2015 an article from Stars and Stripes came to my attention.
The opening sentence of the article states, “Prosecutors in
South Korea have reopened the case of a U.S. soldier who
allegedly tricked a local woman into a bigamous marriage and
left her $50,000 in debt when he returned to his wife in America,
according to South Korean news reports.” Upon reading this
I instantly thought about Puccini’s masterpiece, Madama
, and realized that this over one-hundred-year-old
opera is still, sadly, culturally relevant. In 2015 and a man
was being accused of actions that
were eerily similar to the actions of
1900s. Since then, my brain has
been ruminating on. For all
a modern audience learn lessons
from the atrocious arrogance of
Pinkerton and the fatal innocence
can a traditional production of this
opera be respectful to Japanese
culture?
Europe in the early 1900s was fascinated by “the orient” which
resulted in enormous misunderstandings of Japanese culture
that any production of this opera has to tackle, but I also think
Puccini created an appropriate cultural villain in Pinkerton and
a successful production should point to his very core (and
perhaps the core of American culture at the time) as crude and
culturally insensitive. , like all great works of
art, exposes the human condition. Puccini’s story sets up a
clash of worldviews and begs the audience to analyze our past
in order to create a better future.
50 | FLORIDA GRAND OPERA
I am thrilled to take on this challenge with a company
and team of artists dedicated to creating a sensitive, and
dramatically and musically full evening of opera. My research
has encompassed working with Japanese artists like Kevin
and Momo Suzuki - two experts in Japanese movement and
culture. Their teaching has helped me create a world where
Suzuki, and their community while basing the movements of
the Japanese characters in historical tradition – traditions that
Pinkerton simply doesn’t have the
capacity to understand (or maybe
the heart to truly care about).
Our goal is to create a world that
respects Japanese culture even
as far away from her roots as
girl, desperate to make something
of herself which allows her to fall
victim to a man and circumstances
that she ultimately isn’t equipped to
deal with or strong enough to break
"
Madama Butterfly,
like all great works of art,
exposes the human condition.
Puccini’s story sets up a clash
of worldviews and begs the
audience to analyze our past
in order to create a better
future. "
out of on her own. Our hearts should break with her and our
anger should be pointed at Pinkerton.
Producing in 2019 provides an opportunity
to contemplate how sensitively, or not, Americans have treated
the Japanese since the early 1900s. As citizens of the United
States, our past is not to be ignored, nor accepted. Instead we
BY E. LOREN MEEKER
Madama Butterfly Program Notes
season
From the Director
Link to Stars and Stripes article:
https://www.stripes.com/news/south-korean-prosecutors-reopen-bigamy-case-against-ex-us-soldier-1.381288
/south-korean-prosecutors-reopen-bigamy-case-against-ex-us-soldier-1.381288