Presenting M. Butterfly: A play in three acts

Posted: July 5th, 2009 | Author: Moonstar Silverwolf | Filed under: Theatre | Tags: Gillimard, Hwang, M. Butterfly, Madama Butterfly, play, Puccini, Song Liling, Theatre | View Comments

Since I had an emotional suicide entry, I figured now was as good as ever to share with you a play that is equally as disturbing as it is wonderful. This play is not my favorite, but is a play you really should take a look at for how it weaves historical context, inspirational plays, love & truth as well as the power of those emotions. It is not a play that is to be enjoyed if you want to laugh however and it ends quite disturbingly.

The play won a few awards and is often on college theatre department required play reading lists. It was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize, won the Drama Desk Award for Best New Play in 1989 as well as the Tony Award for Best Play. It has since been turned into a film, with the preview seen below.

The play, M. Butterfly written by David Henry Hwang in 1988 is a story about love & the power of the deception of love. Inspired by Giacomo Puccini’s opera Madama Butterfly. M. Butterfly follows the story of Rene Gallimard, who works as a diplomat for the French Embassy in China and he falls in love with a beautiful Chinese opera diva, Song Liling. This love affair is not what it seems, but Gillimard would not discover this until later. After making a disgrace for himself for bad information, he is sent back to France as a fool, becomes a bigger fool and divorces his wife due to his infatuation & love with Song Liling.

Act two begins with Song coming to France and continuing their love affair for another 20 years until the truth is revealed to Gillimard. Song Liling is really a man, who has been masquerading as a female opera singer so he can spy on the French for the Chinese government. Due to the new found information, Gillimard is tried for treason and espionage and thrown in prison.

Act three becomes a bit more disturbing as it depicts Gillimard unable to come to grips with the fact that his “perfect woman” is really a man & while Song watches, Gallimard commits seppuku, which is a chinese style suicide of self-disembowelment.