Madame Butterfly Theater Oostpool

Theater Rotterdam Schouwburg
Theater

Puccini's Madama Butterfly has captivated generations of opera lovers. With Madame Butterfly, director Char Li Chung takes a new step in Asian representation in Dutch theater with a contemporary adaptation of the opera.

Madama Butterfly by Puccini

Madama Butterfly tells the love story of the Japanese geisha Cio-Cio-San, nicknamed Butterfly. Madly in love, she marries an American naval officer, who returns to his native country immediately after their wedding. Butterfly is left abandoned while expecting their son. After three years, her lover returns, but not for the reunion Cio-Cio-San has been waiting for.

The Asian woman's perspective

Madama Butterfly was first performed in 1904 and is based on a clearly 19th century Western vision of the Asian woman, with all the prejudices that came with it. Prejudices that are still present in Dutch society today. With his radical adaptation, director Char Li Chung breaks with the original story. In Madame Butterfly, Cio-Cio-San (Cystine Carreon, known for Gooische Vrouwen and Miss Saigon) finally gets to speak. The orientalist male perspective is no longer central, but the main character is given control over her own story. And it's about time.

Char Li Chung

Director Char Li Chung (The Hague, 1995) is committed to representation and celebrating otherness in his work. With a big heart for the queer community and a strong connection to his Chinese-Italian roots, he looks for ways to inspire people to explore different forms of living and loving. At Oostpool he has made adaptations of historical texts as well as new work in recent years. Including Edward II – The Gay King (2021), the very successful De Bananen Generation (2022 and 2023) and the West End hit Cock (2023).