While the state does boast a number of local opera companies, the three performances of "Butterfly" this month at the McCarter Theater in Princeton are notable.
East met West in Central Jersey this week as the 14th Princeton Festival presented Puccini’s “Madame Butterfly.”
Something almost as elusive in New Jersey as the regional borders within the Garden State are fully staged productions of opera. While the state does boast a number of local opera companies, the three performances of “Butterfly” this month at the McCarter Theater in Princeton are notable. (The final performance is this Sunday, July 1.)
Conducted by festival director Richard Tang Yuk and staged by Steven LaCosse, this presentation of Puccini’s versimo classic is thoroughly professional, if rarely subtle. One of the highlights of rather workmanlike renditions of classics is how one can appreciate the strength of the material.
Puccini’s expert orchestrations in the score and David Belasco’s compelling characters and plot twists in the libretto are all on display at the McCarter. Sure, you can listen to recordings of “Butterfly” or watch it in HD video, but this production — despite its rough edges — does provide the visceral thrill that only live opera can deliver.
Much of this is due to the solid performances of the two leads: Matthew White, a young, emerging tenor from Virginia, as Pinkerton; and a veteran soprano from Europe, Yulia Lysenko, in the title role. Lysenko uses her big (if occasionally strained) top notes and a dramatic stage presence to create a credible characterization of a 15-year-old Japanese geisha — no small task for sopranos of any age. White has a smaller voice, but an ardent tenor sound and excellent Italian diction.
Also aiding his performance as Pinkerton, the loutish Lieutenant, are his handsome looks. In his formal Navy whites, he resembles Tom Cruise in the film “A Few Good Men,” save for the black shoes. (Another petty costume quibble: Pinkerton appears to be wearing the same uniform in Acts I & II, despite three years — and no promotion! — having passed.)
White and Lysekno don’t have a lot of chemistry, but they do hit the high notes in the important scenes. The same could not be said of baritone Paul La Rosa, whose Sharpless lacked focus or gravitas. Janara Kellerman’s Suzuki suggested Ethel Merman in a kimono; and Anthony Webb’s Goro was more vaudeville than versimo, complete with a boater hat and broad comic acting style.
The rest of the cast as well as the chorus was blustery at best — the one exception was Wei Wu in the role of The Bonze, Butterfly’s uncle who objects to his niece marrying a westerner and denounces her. It’s a small part, but Wu and his booming bass voice made a thrilling entrance in Act 1. He didn’t need any of the silly wigs or makeup that many in the cast suffered under, but simply used his voice and an intense stage presence to make the scene come to life. Wu’s brief appearance was one of the few moments where the red-blooded rapture of Puccini’s music could be heard as well as felt.
Wu’s scene was also one of the few parts in the score where the conductor’s brash style meshed with the action on stage. Richard Tang Yuk led almost every measure of the opera as if it were a rousing Broadway overture. That along with a rough sound and balances that often drowned out singers (the trumpets overwhelmed Chad Armstrong’s Yamadori and a rogue oboe almost upstaged Butterfly in one passage) made for a less-than-pristine aural experience.
Similarly, director LaCosse stressed impact over insight. Wally Coberg’s old-fashioned, rice-paper sets have been around for years (in fact, they looked like they could have been out of an opera textbook from the 1930s) but they, like the direction, were effective at conveying the setting and story. Clearly this was accomplished, as the matinee audience gave the cast and conductor a warm reception at curtain call on Sunday, which ultimately was what Belasco and Puccini would want no doubt more than anything.
“Madame Butterfly” has always been more about passion rather than precision.
James C. Taylor can be reached writejamesctaylor@gmail.com. Find NJ.com/Entertainment on Facebook.