![]() ![]() In this production, their relationship is never believable, nor is the ruse underpinning Song Liling’s deception. In the play, Rene Gallimard (Clive Owen), a middling French diplomat, falls in love with Song Liling (Jin Ha), an alluring Chinese opera singer-or so the text suggests. Butterfly” is a modern re-telling of the “Madame Butterfly” story (later adapted to Puccini’s iconic opera “Madama Butterfly”) set in China before and during the Vietnam War. Based on the true story of a French diplomat who fell in love with a Chinese opera singer and carried on a decades-long affair, despite mistaken sexual identity, that later led to charges of espionage and ultimately imprisonment, “M. Butterfly” explores questions of gender, race, and international politics in a way that was singularly stunning in 1988, but perversely feels less impactful in 2017 when such conversations surround us. Under the helm of visionary director Julie Taymor (“Spider Man: Turn Off The Dark”, “The Lion King”), and starring film actor Clive Owen, this production featuring a newly revised text by the playwright was ripe for viewing but sadly cloudy and disappointingly devoid of the fantasy necessary to sustain the drama. Butterfly” opened Thursday night at the Cort Theatre. ![]() The highly anticipated, first Broadway revival of David Henry Hwang’s 1988 Tony winning drama “ M. ![]()
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