Madama Butterfly | Moffatt Oxenbould & Matthew Barclay

MADAMA BUTTERFLY

Opera Australia, Saturday January 3, 2026. Joan Sutherland Theatre, Sydney Opera House.

Music — Giacomo Puccini  Libretto — Luigi Illica, Giuseppe Giacosa.    Based on the play Madame Butterfly: A Tragedy of Japan by David Belasco,  in turn based on the short story Madame Butterfly by John Luther Long,  in turn partly based on the novel Madame Chrysanthème by Pierre Loti.

Conductor — Andrea Battistoni
Director — Moffat Oxenbould, rehearsed by Matthew Barclay  

Music & Direction: 4 ****

Madama Butterfly in Sydney

It is the nature of a warhorse opera in a workhorse staging that any truly transcendent artistry delivered within a given remount is often entirely dependent upon the sheer willfulness of individual company members in committing to the task. Singular professional and personal pride, and its resulting commitment and focus, can make all the difference in whether an audience receives a by-the-numbers cash grab populated by salaried journeyers, or a genuine attempt to evolve, illuminate, and give meaning to a well-worn repertoire piece.

The usual mix of true believers and tourists

Three days into the new year, Puccini’s mighty, meaty melodrama was served rather than elevated by rehearsal director Matthew Barclay’s entirely workmanlike remounting of Moffat Oxenbould’s now 29-year-old Opera Australia production, which, on opening night, seemed to fulfil what has apparently become its primary purpose — to fill every seat of the Sydney Opera House’s Joan Sutherland Theatre with the usual mix of true believers and tourists. (And cosplayers, too, apparently, judging by the amount of kimonos to be seen among the audience.)

The Sutherland Theatre was thus crammed to capacity on a warm Saturday evening in Sydney, with an enthusiastic audience partaking of a performance showcasing the gamut of individual artist engagement — from highly satisfying emotional and artistic immersion, to stalwart and dependable. There were, mercifully, no duds.

Guanqun Yu owned the evening

In the title role, Guanqun Yu, simultaneously making her Opera Australia and her role debut, took it upon herself to be nothing short of exceptional, and she owned the evening. Vocally, dramatically, and humanly, she not only aspired to transcendence (a rare enough goal), but she also actively achieved it more than once across the course of the performance. The tirelessly inventive ways the actor within her employed to inhabit the drama was a masterclass in how to fill every moment, and she was never not-interesting-to-watch. Vocally she was beyond reproach. The standing ovation she received at evening’s end was as emotional as it was deserved.

A healthy dose of the nastiness

Diego Torre, substituting at short notice for an indisposed Robert Watson, made solid work of one of Puccini’s great villains, and if his passaggio which could do with a little WD40, it was a small price to pay for what was otherwise an impassioned vocal performance. Just once I’d like to see a tenor (and a production) really lean into Pinkerton’s “vil” and give us a solid, healthy dose of the nastiness of American imperialism and rapaciousness, but until then, we’ll have to make do with my guy trying to be likeable as he marries a fifteen-year-old just for something to do.

A commanding and debonair Sharpless

Samuel Dundas was a commanding and debonair Sharpless, in strong vocal form and cutting a dash in that sweet frock coat. He, too, was clearly making every effort to inhabit the drama, but too often fell victim to Barclay’s frustratingly loose hand when it came to the production’s behavioral-emotional literacy. If the micro-subplots and the flashes of Booth and Barrymore were a bit much, the attempt is to be applauded, since as we have discussed, the aspiration is rare enough.

Sian Sharp was a magnificently invisible Suzuki — a striking (because rare) example of truly egoless support playing; she was present when she needed to be, but knew exactly how, when, and to what measure, to withdraw herself and give focus to her colleagues, even as she remained physically prominent. It’s an uncommon and beautiful thing. Vocally, too, she was without fault, and frequently exemplary.

Among the remaining cast, special mention must go to Leon Vitogiannis’ Yamadori — an impactful cameo delivered with calm confidence. The remaining principals were all perfectly stalwart journeyers, and if the flashes of Booth and Barrymore extended to them, it’s clearly a directorial issue. Whether this falls to Oxenbould or Barclay, it’s a frustrating hole in what is otherwise fine work.

Pulling all the right strings

Oxenbould’s stylish single-set production is a reliable workhorse with no surprises, pulling all the right strings and ticking all the right boxes. Its balletic, “movement”-heavy approach to blocking frequently smacks of filling the moment for the sake of it, but if its ubiquity in the company’s rotation is anything to go by, such easily repeatable elements can compensate for a dramatic cohesion that often goes by the wayside when time (a.k.a.: money) and box office are of the essence. The gaps in the drama are eminently fixable and would require little if any serious reworking of the existing blocking for this production to be genuine gem of vivid music drama.

Maestro Andrea Battistoni’s account of the score was sensitive and secure, and both the Opera Australia Orchestra and the Opera Australia Chorus were in fine fettle.

David Meadows