Madama Butterfly

     As I was writing yesterday's post, I recalled that, a few years ago, after watching Madama Butterfly, I sent an email to a friend describing the plot in my idiosyncratically satirical style.  I found the email, and, having laughed at my own snarkiness, I post it here for my lovely viewers to read, that they may share in my amusement. 

     Madama Butterfly begins with a silly man named Benjamin Franklin Pinkerton (B. F. Pinkerton for short *points at him and laughs*, who has decided that, since in Japanese law, at that time, you could leave your wife at any time and re-marry, he wants a temporary Japanese wife.
     The silly "Japanese", *cough cough* money-hungry marriage broker Goro (which means 5) sets him up with Chou-chou-san (Miss Butterfly), a 15 year old ex-geisha. She is instantly disposed to love him, much to the chagrin of Pinkerton's older, wiser friend Sharpless, who warns him against his selfish actions, as he doesn't want the innocent young girl to get hurt. Pinkerton laughs him off saying that he will have his "Butterfly", even if he breaks her wings.
     He then meets and marries Butterfly. After the ceremony, her uncle bursts in and starts shouting about how she is disowned because she converted to Pinkerton's religion, so her family and friends abandon her (all except her loving, faithful handmaid Suzuki), shouting angrily "Chou-chou-saaaan!" about 20 times, while she lays on the stage floor in a curled-up heap. Pinkerton orders them all out of his house, and comforts Butterfly, and she admits to being happy despite her family's cursings. Cue the famous love duet.

In act II, Pinkerton has been gone for 3 years, and Butterfly still thinks she's married. Everyone knows otherwise, including Suzuki, but Butterfly convinces her that he will come back, and for Butterfly's sake, she goes along with that theory.
     The afore mentioned Goro tries to set her up with this hilarious looking noble who looks like a silly Feudal lord *points and laughs at him too*, making Butterfly very angry.
     Sharpless pays her a visit, and is very distressed to see her in so much hope of Pinkerton returning (she's watched for his ship every day for three years), and gently suggests that she marry the other guy. She becomes angry at him too (the poor fellow), and tries to kick him out of her house. He apologizes for offending her, and shows her a letter that Pinkerton wrote him that says he is returning to Japan, and Butterfly is ecstatic.
     The letter goes on to say that he doesn't want to see Butterfly, so she calls out to someone, and out comes the most adorable little blonde boy I've ever seen. Butterfly says that he is Pinkerton's son, who was born soon after he left, and asks Sharpless to write to Pinkerton, telling him of the child "who's name is Sorrow, but will be Changed to Happiness if his father returns". The little boy has no dialogue (since three year olds don't generally sing opera), but he doesn't need to; he's just cute.          
     Sharpless agrees to write, and does so. Pinkerton agrees to come, and Butterfly and Suzuki weep with joy, and decorate the entire house with flowers, and wait for him to come. Butterfly dons her wedding kimono, and waits up all night for him, and then in the morning, goes to bed.
     In the morning, Sharpless arrives with Pinkerton, and...Pinkerton's American wife Kate. Suzuki cries bitter tears for her mistress, and starts to go wake her, but Pinkerton stops her. He weeps like a pansy, when he realizes that she's been waiting patiently for him these three years, and says that the flowers she strew about for him "poison his heart". He then says that he can't bear to stay there, and leaves.
     Kate remains behind, waiting for Butterfly to wake up. When she does, it doesn't take her long to figure out who Kate is, and she cries passionately. Kate apparently feels sorry for her, and tells her in an apologetic tone that she is the innocent cause of her suffering. She then proceeds to say she and her husband (neither of whom the child has ever met) want to take him away to America and raise him themselves. That's the final straw for Butterfly, having first lost her husband, and now her beloved child. She tearfully says that they can take him, only if Pinkerton comes for him himself.   
     Kate then leaves, and Suzuki and Butterfly cry together. Suzuki offers to bring Sorrow to her, but she says to let him play, and tells Suzuki to join him. Suzuki guesses Butterfly's intentions, and begs to be allowed to remain with her, but she orders her away. She then goes to her room, and takes down her fathers knife with which he committed sepuku (suicide), and raises it to her neck, and then Sorrow comes running in. She quickly casts aside the knife and takes him in her arms, and begins singing to him a very emotional aria, asking him to forgive his mother's abandonment, and asks that he keep a faint memory of her face, and then tells him to go play. She goes over to him, hands him a toy, ties a blindfold over his eyes, and then hugs him one last time.
     Then she returns to her knife, and as she hears Pinkerton coming up the hill calling "Butterfly!", she seizes her knife and stabs herself, leaving Pinkerton with his guilt and shame, and a little boy who would no doubt always remind him of his own folly, and the loving family he could have had. Foolish sap...

     Haha, just a tad bit melodramatic, what?  Most operas are; it's what makes them fun~