David Belasco News

What makes 'Madama Butterfly' one of the 3 most popular operas in the world? First, the story is so familiar. Giacomo Puccini, the composer, used a famous play by David Belasco with a strong dramatic plot. Second, Puccini's music adds new dimensions to the play. Third, the heartbreaking end of the opera sums up the very human reaction to love, betrayal, hope, and despair.

Con el aplauso y el reconocimiento del público, este viernes por la noche en el Palacio de Bellas Artes la Compañía Nacional de Ópera (CNO) del Instituto Nacional de Bellas Artes y Literatura (INBAL) inició las presentaciones de la ópera La Fanciulla del West, de Giacomo Puccini, en una puesta en escena, escenografía e iluminación de Sergio Vela y la dirección concertadora del italiano Marcello Mottadelli al frente de la Orquesta y Coro del Teatro de Bellas Artes.

The renaming of the theatre was dedicated to Stephen Sondheim, the greatest and best known artist in American musical theatre on his 80th birthday. 

Soprano Amanda Palmeiro, now performing the title role at English language performances of Butterfly for the InSeries, deserves an opera career as sensational as her voice. Already a prize-winner at Met auditions, she'll perform Papagena with the Washington National Opera's Domingo Cafritz Young Artists program at the Kennedy Center in November.

La Compañía Nacional de Ópera del Instituto Nacional de Bellas Artes y Literatura presentará la primera producción mexicana de La fanciulla del West, de Giacomo Puccini, con la participación de Elizabeth Blancke-Biggs, Roman Ialcic, Diego Torre, así como la Orquesta y Coro del Teatro de Bellas Artes, bajo la dirección concertadora del italiano Marcello Mottadelli, los días 26 de septiembre, así como el 1, 3 y 6 de octubre, en la Sala Principal del Palacio de Bellas Artes.

La Compañía Nacional de Ópera del Instituto Nacional de Bellas Artes y Literatura presentará la primera producción mexicana de La fanciulla del West, de Giacomo Puccini, con la participación de Elizabeth Blancke-Biggs, Roman Ialcic, Diego Torre, así como la Orquesta y Coro del Teatro de Bellas Artes, bajo la dirección concertadora del italiano Marcello Mottadelli, los días 26 de septiembre, así como el 1, 3 y 6 de octubre, en la Sala Principal del Palacio de Bellas Artes.

The Washington-based IN Series, an intrepid company positioning itself at the center of changing the nature of opera, is returning to the Baltimore Theatre Project as part of a collaborative effort between the two organizations to regenerate indy-opera in Baltimore. Having brought the final production of their 2018-2019 season, THE TALE OF SERSE, to BTP this past June, the company now mounts a truly major statement: BUTTERFLY, a new version of Puccini's classic and beloved Madama Butterfly that strips the work of its layers of exoticism and artifice, wrestling with its troubling issues of racism and misogyny, to arrive at an intimate theater experience that reveals the raw emotional power held within this unforgettable score. The company will bring two performances of this production to Baltimore Theatre Project September 28th and 29th.

On Sunday April 14 Pacific Opera Project (POP) presented Giacomo Puccini's 1904 opera, Madama Butterfly, in Japanese and English in Los Angeles's Little Tokyo. The company also live-streamed it online. Did anyone ever think an American Navy officer would speak to a young Japanese lady in Italian? l'd expect him to speak English and the lady from Nagasaki to speak Japanese. That is what happened at the performance on Sunday. Despite translations from Goro, the marriage broker, and Sharpless, the American consul, Pinkerton and Butterfly had trouble understanding each other as they came from completely different cultures.

Pacific Symphony continues its semi-staged operatic series with Puccini's poignant opera, “Madame Butterfly,” which tells the story of a young naïve Japanese geisha who believes that her love for a handsome American naval officer is eternal. With its lush score and heartbreaking arias, it is a timeless tale that will stir your emotions. Eric Einhorn is once again the stage director, returning after his masterful work on “Tosca” and “Turnadot.” Longtime artistic partner Pacific Chorale, led by Artistic Director Robert Istad, will join the Symphony on stage again as well, after their last appearance in a Symphony opera with 2018's “The Magic Flute.” Soprano Yunah Lee will be performing the lead role of Cio-Cio-San, followed by tenor John Pickle's performance as Lieutenant B.F. Pinkerton. Mezzo-soprano Sabina Kim and baritone Luis Ledesma both appear to perform the roles of Suzuki and Sharpless, respectively.

In the video below watch as Jonas Kaufmann discusses his role with host Susanna Phillips during the October 27 Live in HD transmission.

Get a first look at LA FANCIULLA DEL WEST at The Met below! Soprano Eva-Maria Westbroek sings Puccini's gun-slinging heroine in this romantic epic of the Wild West, with the heralded return of tenor Jonas Kaufmann in the role of the outlaw she loves. Tenor Yusif Eyvazov also sings some performances. Baritone Željko Lu?i? is the vigilante sheriff Jack Rance, and Marco Armiliato conducts. 

Get a first look at LA FANCIULLA DEL WEST at The Met below! Soprano Eva-Maria Westbroek sings Puccini's gun-slinging heroine in this romantic epic of the Wild West, with the heralded return of tenor Jonas Kaufmann in the role of the outlaw she loves. Tenor Yusif Eyvazov also sings some performances. Baritone Željko Lu?i? is the vigilante sheriff Jack Rance, and Marco Armiliato conducts. 

In the video below get a first look at La Fanciulla del West at The Met Opera!

The KL City Opera presents MADAMA BUTTERFLY as part of its 2018 season, running from Nov. 22 to Nov. 25. 

The Metropolitan Opera's production of Puccini's La Fanciulla del West comes to the big screen in HD at The Ridgefield Playhouse on Sunday, October 28 at 12pm (an encore presentation). Soprano Eva-Maria Westbroek sings Puccini's gun-slinging heroine in this romantic epic of the Wild West and tenor Jonas Kaufmann plays the outlaw she loves. Baritone Željko Lucic is the vigilante sheriff, Jack Rance, and Marco Armiliato conducts. This screening is part of the Atria Senior Living Classical Series with support from The Ridgefield Press and Whistle Stop Bakery, underwritten by Lori & John Berisford, Jeanne Cook, Liz & Steven Goldstone and Sabina & Walter Slavin.

Dance We Must: Treasures from Jacob's Pillow, 1906-1940 explores the contributions of Jacob's Pillow founder Ted Shawn and the iconic Ruth St. Denis to American modern dance. Gathering over 350 materials, including more than 30 costumes and accessories, over 200 photographs, five original antique costume trunks, and a dozen original artworks from both the Jacob's Pillow Archives and Williams College Special Collections, the exhibition contextualizes the pioneering work of Shawn and St. Denis within the scope of American art history through artifacts that have never been seen before. Dance We Must will be on view at Williams College Museum of Art (WCMA) from June 29 through November 11, 2018. The opening celebration will take place on July 2, featuring performances by Adam H. Weinert and Williams College Artist-in-Residence in Dance Erica Dankmeyer.

The last time the Met did Puccini's LA FANCIULLA DEL WEST--GIRL OF THE GOLDEN WEST--it was such a dispiriting affair that I was ready to write it off as past its expiration date. New York City Opera to the rescue!, opening its season with a lively revival of the Italian master's work about the California Gold Rush and the tough-babe-with-a-heart-of-marshmallow who runs the saloon.

The Lambs, America's first professional theater club and one of the oldest professional theatrical organizations in the U.S., marked its 90-year association with Sardi's proclaiming it the Club's favorite watering hole...outside The Lambs. A framed copy was presented to Sean Sardi Ricketts, a grandson of Vince Sardi. Scroll down for photos!

For the third performance in the ongoing Bryant Park Presents New York City Opera series, New York City Opera will present a free preview of its upcoming production of Puccini's La Fanciulla del West today, August 22 at 6 p.m.

A number of key company debuts marked Seattle Opera's 2017-18 season opening