// OPERA // 

AN AMERICAN OFFICER in turn-of-the-century Japan wants a bride, and a marriage broker obliges, assuring him that the union can be easily dissolved. Innocent Cio-Cio San believes they’re in love, even as Pinkerton sails to America. For three years, she fights off rising debts and new suitors, certain of his return. But when their long-awaited reunion finally arrives, the lieutenant isn’t alone—and he isn’t here for her. Director Mario Gas gives Puccini’s Madame Butterfly a cinematic twist: The action takes place on a 1930s film set. Korean soprano Karah Son reprises her signature role; tenor Jonathan Tetelman is Pinkerton; Hyona Kim is Cio-Cio San’s devoted maid Suzuki. Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, 135 N. Grand Ave., downtown, 213.972.8001, laopera.org

Photo: San Francisco Opera/Cory Weaver(1965-67)
From the pages of Performances Magazine, September 2024