madame butterfly.

I went to the Utah Opera's performance of Madame Butterfly last night and it was amazing. For those who don't know the story, here's a brief summary:

Pinkerton, a U.S. Navy officer in Japan marries Cio-Cio San, who he calls Butterfly. For Pinkerton, this is a "temporary" marriage and he plans to leave her in a month, never to return. He is young and selfish and considers his new bride a "toy". At the wedding he tells his friend, Sharpless, that he can't wait to marry a real American Bride. Butterfly, however, is deeply in love. She renounces her family and religion to be his wife and worship the same God that he does. When Pinkerton leaves for America, he promises to return "when the robins nest again". 3 years go by and Pinkerton has not returned, but Butterfly is waiting faithfully. She refuses all other offers of marriage, even though in Japan, desertion is the same as divorce. Pinkerton finally returns, but sends Sharpless to "deal" with Butterfly if she is still waiting for him. I won't spoil the whole ending in case anyone wants to see it someday :) but it's tragic {of course... it's an opera!} and beautiful and I loved it!

The set and costumes were gorgeous and the cast was SOOO good! Seriously, you should go see it :) Even some of you opera-haters might like it! The music is really melodic and not all crazy like Mozart. If you feel iffy about the whole idea in general, read this first-timers guide to the opera :)