Date: Sat, 14 Mar 2009 18:01:06 -0400 From: Steve Abrams <sapuppets-AT-gmail.com> To: puptcrit <puptcrit-AT-puptcrit.org> Subject: [Puptcrit] Madama Butterfly Last Sunday while driving back from a show, I listened to a live radio broadcast of Madama Butterfly from the Metropolitan Opera in New York.I had read quite a bit about the bunraku puppet used in this version of the opera, but it was a wonderful l to hear the "play by play" announcer mention puppetry so often and in such glowing terms. At the curtain call I was thrilled to hear Kevin Augustine, Marc Petrosino and Tom Lee mentioned as they took their bows on the Metropolitan stage. Bravo Kevin, Marc and Tom Brava to Patricia Racette as Butterfly I am not sure if there were previous puptcrit posts about this milestone for our art form. The English National Opera asked film director Anthony Minghella to direct Madama Butterfly. It was first presented in London Nov 2005 Minghella is known as the director The English Patient 1996, and The Talented Mr Ripley 1999. In the late 1980s Mr Minghella wrote the scripts for Jim Henson's Storyteller series. The child of Cio Cio San (Madam Buttefly) and Pinkerton, is played by a bunraku style puppet. The London company Blind Summit Theatre founded in 1997 by Mark Down and Nick Barnes were responsible for the puppetry. On their web site they mention Phillipe Genty, Handspring Theatre, the Wooster Group and the Sex Pistols as artistic influences. In March 2006 Minghella' s Butterfly was presented in Lithuania In Sept 2006 in played the Met in NY with a star studded opening night audience The choreography was by Minghella's wife Carolyn Choa English puppeteers appeared at first: Mark Down, Finn Caldwell, NIck Barnes In 2007 Kevin Augustine joined the cast. In 2008 Anthony Minghella passed away at the age of 54 The radio broadcast from the Met was March 7 2009. I think there were also movie theatre high definition showings on the same day Check movie theatre listings for encore performances March 18 and March 19 Below is an article with photos on National Public Radio's web site from 2006 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=6363789 Here is a youtube clip of a rehearsal session from the production in Lithuania The puppet is revealed at 1:30 minutes into the action (wait for it, its worth it) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cLmsKrRLUBg Steve _______________________________________________ List address: puptcrit-AT-puptcrit.org Admin interface: http://lists.puptcrit.org/mailman/listinfo/puptcrit Archives: http://www.driftline.org
Display software: ArchTracker © Malgosia Askanas, 2000-2005