M. Butterfly

M. Butterfly
Written by David Henry Hwang
Characters Rene Gallimard
Song Liling
Marc
Helga
M. Toulon
Comrade Chin
Renee and others
Date premiered February 10, 1988
Place premiered National Theatre, Washington, D.C.
Original language English
Subject East/West cultural stereotypes
Genre Drama
Setting A Paris prison, 1988; recollections of Beijing and Paris

M. Butterfly is a play by David Henry Hwang. Although some productions have used the music of Madama Butterfly, the play has no connection with that opera. Instead, it is loosely based on the relationship between French diplomat Bernard Boursicot and Shi Pei Pu, a Peking opera singer. The play premiered on Broadway in 1988 and won the 1988 Tony Award for Best Play.

Productions

M. Butterfly premiered at the National Theatre, Washington, DC, on February 10, 1988.[1]

The play opened on Broadway at the Eugene O'Neill Theatre on March 20, 1988, and closed after 777 performances on January 27, 1990.[2] It was produced by Stuart Ostrow and directed by John Dexter; it starred John Lithgow as Gallimard and BD Wong as Song Liling. David Dukes, Anthony Hopkins, Tony Randall, and John Rubinstein played Gallimard at various times during the original run.[3]

A highly unusual abstract staging, featuring Puccini's opera Madame Butterfly intermixed with French pop music, had Kazakh countertenor Erik Kurmangaliev star as Song; he also sang two of Butterfly's arias live during the show. This production was directed by Roman Viktyuk in Moscow, Russia in 1992.[4]

The play was a 1989 finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Drama.[5]

It is published by Plume and in an acting edition by Dramatists Play Service.[6] An audio recording of the play was produced by L.A. Theatre Works, with Lithgow and Wong reprising their Broadway roles along with Margaret Cho.[7]

A Broadway revival opened on October 26, 2017, at the Cort Theatre, with previews beginning on October 7. Starring Clive Owen, the production was directed by Julie Taymor.[8][9] David Henry Hwang made changes to the original text for the revival, mostly centering around the issue of intersectional identities, but also for clarifications.[10]

Plot

The first act introduces the main character, Rene Gallimard, a civil servant attached to the French embassy in China. He falls in love with a beautiful Chinese opera singer, Song Liling. Gallimard is unaware that all female roles in traditional Beijing opera were actually played by males, as females were banned from the stage. The first act ends with Gallimard returning to France in shame and living alone after his wife, Helga, finds out about his affair with Song and leaves him.

Act two begins with Song coming to France as a spy and resuming the affair with Gallimard. They stay together for 20 years until the truth is revealed, and Gallimard is convicted of treason and imprisoned. Unable to face the fact that his "perfect woman" is a man, he retreats deep within himself and his memories. The action of the play is depicted as his disordered, distorted recollection of the events surrounding their affair.

The third act portrays Gallimard performing seppuku while Song watches and smokes a cigarette.

Film adaptation

Hwang adapted the play for a 1993 film directed by David Cronenberg with Jeremy Irons and John Lone in the leading roles.[11]

Awards and nominations

Original Broadway production

[12]

Year Award ceremony Category Nominee Result
1988 Tony Award Best Play David Henry Hwang Won
Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play John Lithgow Nominated
Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Play BD Wong Won
Best Direction of a Play John Dexter Won
Best Scenic Design Eiko Ishioka Nominated
Best Costume Design Nominated
Best Lighting Design Andy Phillips Nominated
Drama Desk Award Outstanding New Play David Henry Hwang Won
Outstanding Actor in a Play John Lithgow Nominated
Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play BD Wong Won
Outstanding Director of a Play John Dexter Won
Outstanding Set Design Eiko Ishioka Nominated
Outstanding Costume Design Nominated
Outer Critics Circle Award Outstanding New Broadway Play Won
Outstanding Debut Performance BD Wong Won
John Gassner Award David Henry Hwang Won
New York Drama Critics' Circle Best Play David Henry Hwang Nominated
Theatre World Award BD Wong Won
Clarence Derwent Awards Most Promising Male Performer BD Wong Won
1989 Pulitzer Prize for Drama Finalist

References

  1. ↑ Hwang, David Henry. "Foreword", 'M. Butterfly': With an Afterword by the Playwright, Penguin, 1993, ISBN 1101077034
  2. ↑ The Broadway League. "M. Butterfly". ibdb.com. Retrieved 30 July 2015.
  3. ↑ Rich, Frank (21 March 1988). "Review/Theater; 'M. Butterfly,' a Story Of a Strange Love, Conflict and Betrayal". The New York Times. Retrieved 15 March 2011.
  4. ↑ "Erik Kurmangaliev (Counter-tenor) – Short Biography". bach-cantatas.com. Retrieved 30 July 2015.
  5. ↑ "Finalists 1989" pulitzer.org, accessed October 11, 2015
  6. ↑ "Dramatists Play Service, Inc". dramatists.com. Retrieved 30 July 2015.
  7. ↑ latw.org
  8. ↑ http://www.playbill.com/article/broadway-m-butterfly-revival-announces-its-star
  9. ↑ Lefkowitz, Andy (2017-06-19). "Clive Owen-Led Revival of David Henry Hwang's M. Butterfly Finds Its Broadway Home". Broadway.com. Retrieved 2017-06-19.
  10. ↑ Collins-Hughes, Laura (2017-10-17). "New Flight for a New 'Butterfly'". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2017-12-05.
  11. ↑ sagg928 (1 October 1993). "M. Butterfly (1993)". IMDb. Retrieved 30 July 2015.
  12. ↑ "'M. Butterfly' Production Broadway" playbillvault.com, accessed October 11, 2015
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