This is a printer-friendly version of an article from Zip06.com.
08/03/2017 12:01 AMOpera Theater of Connecticut (OTC) will again bring to the Andrews Memorial Theater one of the great opera masterpieces, Puccini’s opera Madama Butterfly.
Sung in Italian and accompanied by orchestra, performances are Tuesday, Aug. 8, Thursday, Aug. 10, and Saturday, Aug. 12 at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, Aug. 13 at 6 p.m. at the air-conditioned theater, 54 East Main Street, Clinton. The opera will feature OTC’s English supertitles, prepared by Alan Mann, OTC’s artistic director.
“The story of a lovely, young geisha married by a scheming marriage broker to a passionate, yet callous American officer resonates as strongly today as it did over a century ago when it was first presented. Heartbreaking and stirring music is the hallmark of this Puccini masterpiece, set in Imperial Japan. This glorious and heart-rending clash of cultures and the tragedy that results is perhaps the most beautiful of Puccini’s scores and the most memorable musically, dramatically and visually; its passion and emotion heightened in the Andrews Memorial Theater’s intimate space,” says Mann.
“Opera Theater of Connecticut’s production of Madama Butterfly is not to be missed, especially with the exquisite costumes, wigs, and makeup evoking Japan, and with a set and lighting designed to maximize the drama and tragedy,” says Kate Ford, OTC’s general director.
Ford and Mann will be working with Music Director Kyle Swann.
“The cast features the return of our La Bohème lead singers, a production that moved everyone who attended.” Mann says. “Shannon Kessler Dooley, who sang Mimì, comes back to OTC to sing the tragic heroine Cio-Cio San, and she is once again paired with Joshua Kohl, our Lt. Pinkerton, who recently sang her Rodolfo.”
Rounding out the principal cast, tenor Stefan Barner makes his OTC debut as Goro; mezzo Evanna Lai again appears on the OTC stage, this time as Suzuki; and John Dooley makes his OTC MainStage debut as Consul-General Sharpless. OTC also introduces Andrew Potter and Zachary Johnson as The Bonze and Prince Yamadori, while Carly Callahan appears as Kate Pinkerton, all accompanied by OTC’s orchestra and chorus.
Boxed suppers, prepared by Chips’ Pub III and served on the theater lawn next to the scenic Indian River an hour before the show, are $15 and are reserved through the OTC website
Relax for a half hour and learn a bit more about the opera and its composer from Mann by attending Opera Talk—an informal discussion about the show which starts an hour and 30 minutes before curtain time. Tickets are $5 and may be purchased on the day of performance.
This production is made possible in part by OTC’s supporters and The Howard Gilman Foundation, The National Endowment for the Arts, DECD/COA, and The Community Foundation for Greater New Haven.
For more information and to order tickets, visit www.operatheaterofct.org or call 860-669-8999.