Figures of Modern Stage #4 – Mizutani Yaeko as Cio-Cio-san in “Madame Butterfly”

Series
Figures of Modern Stage

Series Number
4

Title in English
Mizutani Yaeko as Cio-Cio-san in “Madame Butterfly” – Series Figures of the Modern Stage #4

Title in Japanese
現代舞台藝蕐 (4) お蝶夫人 水谷八重子丈 
Gendai Butai Geika 4 – Ochofujin Mizutani Yaeko

Title in French
Mizutani Yaeko dans le rôle de Cio-Cio-san dans “Madame Butterfly” – Série Portraits de la scène moderne No.4

The play
Transposition to Shinpa kabuki of the opera by Giacomo Puccini, with libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa. These adaptations of western plays started in 1910’s as part of Kabuki Shinpa (New School) movement. A performance of Madame Butterfly has a kabuki play was performed in 2017 for the 100th anniversary of this movement.

The story
Act 1: At Nagasaki at the beginning of 20th century, a young naval officer named Benjamin Franklin Pinkerton rents a traditional house during his stopover in Nagasaki via Goro, a matchmaker. The house comes with servants, among them young Suzuki, serving girl to Cio-Cio-san (Madame Butterfly), a beautiful young geisha. Pinkerton gets married to Cio-Cio-san with Sharpless, the American consul as witness. For him, it is a simple exotic convenience, but for her, it is very serious and she renounces her religion and converts to Christianity. After a ceremony spoiled by her uncle, a priest who curses her for turning her back to her ancestry, Pinkerton and Cio-Cio-san live a short idyll. But Pinkerton must soon go back to USA.
Act 2: Three years have passed. Cio-Cio-san is still waiting for Pinkerton to return from whom she has no news. She has remained faithful in spite of numerous mariage offers brought by Goro. At last, Pinkerton comes back to Japan, but with Kate, his American wife. He learns that he has now a son born while he was away. Pinkerton, Kate and Sharpless go to the house and pay a visit to Cio-Cio-san who understands the situation. She gives her son to Kate who pledges to raise him and commit suicide with her father’s short sword.