By Marilyn Farwell
For The Register-Guard


Giacomo Puccini's "Madama Butterfly" was a failure at its first performance in 1904, but its popularity now, a hundred years later, surpasses that of any other opera in the repertoire. Even today, the opera is dismissed as sentimental schlock by some and praised as poignant and compelling by others.


Friday evening, Eugene Opera proved that when presented with ravishing singing and luminous orchestral playing, "Butterfly" remains powerful, even irresistible, theater.


Almost everything in the opera rests on the shoulders of the soprano star.


It is Butterfly's story, and from the moment she appears in the first act she rarely leaves the stage. Luckily, Eugene Opera was able to attract a principal artist from the Metropolitan Opera, Kelly Cae Hogan, for the role. In our small Eugene opera world, we usually hear singers at the beginning of their careers; rarely have we heard such an accomplished vocalist already well into her career.


In the first act, however, Hogan's large voice did not serve her well as the dainty Japanese teenager rapturously in love with an American serviceman. But in the second act, her tone became more focused, turning into a silvery sound which encompassed both thrilling high notes and quiet touches of vulnerability. She sang the opera's most memorable aria, "Un bel di," exquisitely. Hogan's acting also became more believable in the second act, and by the end, she held the audience in her hands.


Unfortunately, her Pinkerton, tenor Joel Andrew Weiss, was not able to match her power, a crucial loss during their love duet. Weiss is a fine, but light, lyric tenor who does not have the heft to fill out Pinkerton's need to be heard over Puccini's heavy orchestration. Weiss would do better to sing Donizetti and Rossini.


The crucial secondary characters were played by superb singing actors. Eric Greene sang a fine Sharpless, the American consul. Karl Reyes brought a splendid voice and an irrepressible energy to the character of Goro, the marriage broker. Sarah Mattox lent her warm mezzo voice to the role of Butterfly's maid, Suzuki. Their flower duet was one of the highlights.


A special acknowledgment must go to the child actor who played Butterfly's son, Trouble. Usually this child is whisked on and off the stage to avoid any problems, but in this production, Jing-Wen Su-Parker played a significant role in Act II and did it convincingly.

The orchestra is also a major force in this opera. It must, in the fashion of Richard Wagner, comment on the stage action as well as accompany the singers.


In other words, the orchestra is always busy. The conductor Kelly Kuo drew lush and expressive playing from this group. Rarely have I heard this orchestra in such good form. The chorus plays a crucial role in the first act, and while it now boasts a substantial number of singers, its singing on Friday was spotty, partly the result of its placement on the stage.


The setting, costumes and action of this production were for the most part traditional, from the mincing steps of the Japanese servants to the women's obis. Carey Wong's naturalistic set remains durable and convincing after many years. His use of foliage, including a tree with (paper) cherry blossoms, warms a stage which is dominated by Butterfly's spare house. The costumes, especially the women's, were colorful.


Two directorial choices stood out. In the second act, Butterfly was dressed in American rather than Asian fashion, which leaves the non-Asian actress without a crucial part of her dramatic identity. But the most surprising choice occurred at the very end, after Butterfly had committed suicide and left Pinkerton to rue his caddish behavior. Puccini, of course, wanted us to feel every last drop of pathos for his long-suffering heroine, but in this production, Director Nicola Bowie added a feminist touch when she had Suzuki take Butterfly's bloodied knife and stab Pinkerton in the back. This left some in the audience befuddled, others strangely satisfied, but everyone astonished.


With this production, Eugene Opera can say that it is back in the business of producing exciting opera.