Not being an opera buff, I really looked forward to seeing Madam Butterfly last night. There were some very fine operatic voices, especially from the two protagonists Pinkerton and Cio-Cio San.
I especially enjoyed her rendering of the operatic classic ‘One Fine Day’ (one of the few arias I am aware of).
All in all it was a very entertaining performance only marred by two flaws, the first being the rather irritating subtitles that continually flitted across the stage in neon red. The second is that Madam Butterfly who is said to be not quite 15yrs, and is constantly referred to as little and child-like, was played by a middle-aged woman! I can see that it is a vocally demanding role and it may be too taxing for a young person but it did rather stretch my suspension of disbelief.
Not withstanding I do hope that touring opera comes to Cheltenham more often as it is a popular and hugely enjoyable piece of theatre.
