Jackson Free Press

Never was a story of more woe than that of Juliet and her Romeo, but the tragic love story of Cio-Cio San and Pinkerton comes close. Cio-Cio San and Pinkerton are the main characters in Giacomo Puccini's opera "Madama Butterfly," which opens Mississippi Opera's 67th season Nov. 12 at Thalia Mara Hall.

"It's very passionate," conductor and artistic director Jay Dean said. "It's got everything an opera should have."

"Madama Butterfly," an opera in three acts, tells the story of 15-year-old Cio-Cio San, nicknamed Butterfly, who marries U.S. Naval officer B.F. Pinkerton in 1904 in Nagasaki, Japan. Cio-Cio San does not realize, though, that Pinkerton is only using her. He plans to divorce her when he finds a more suitable American bride. Pinkerton leaves Cio-Cio San soon after their wedding--the cad!--and she waits three long years for his return. Her friend, Suzuki, tries to convince her to forget him, but Cio-Cio San is a woman in love. And she has also given birth to Pinkerton's child.

Pinkerton finally returns to Nagasaki, and he has his new American wife with him. After he finds out about his secret son, he decides to go to see Cio-Cio San and take the boy away from her so his new wife can raise him. He sees the way Cio-Cio San has decorated her house for his homecoming, and he realizes she really does love him. He admits that he's a coward, so Suzuki, the American consul, Sharpless, and Pinkerton's new wife, Kate, break the news to Cio-Cio San. Naturally, she is heartbroken, but she agrees to give up her child if Pinkerton will come to see her himself. But before he can arrive, Cio-Cio San takes her own life.

Talk about a tragedy.

"This is one of my favorite operas, and I'm looking forward to doing it," said Dean, who is conducting it for the first time. "It's probably one of the most popular operas in the repertoire."

"Madama Butterfly" ranks as No. 8 in the Operabase.com list of the most-performed operas worldwide and is a staple in the operatic repertoire of companies internationally.

Puccini based "Madama Butterfly" in part on the 1898 short story "Madame Butterfly" by John Luther Long, which David Belasco dramatized into a play that inspired Puccini, as did the 1887 novel "Madame Chrysantheme" by Pierre Loti. The story is supposedly based on events that actually occurred in Nagasaki in the early 1890s, and has inspired many other loose adaptations, from a 1920s silent film starring Anna Mae Wong to the 1990s Broadway musical "Miss Saigon."

"It's not an uncommon scenario, which makes it relevant to real people," Dean said. "When we have American military around the world, these things happen."

The soaring score also appeals to audiences. "The music is some of the most gorgeous music ever written," Dean said.

He conducted auditions in New York City and Jackson last spring to cast the roles for this production. "Between those three days, I heard about 150 singers, and we chose our cast from that," Dean said. "I think it's going to be one of the best casts of singers that's ever been on the stage in Jackson."

New Yorkers Eleni Calenos and Daniel Snyder star as Cio-Cio San and Pinkerton, with Jacksonian James Martin as Sharpless, the American consul.

Dean, who is also the music director and conductor of the University of Southern Mississippi Symphony Orchestra, has also been working with the Japanese-American Society in Jackson to ensure authenticity. The production is all new, with backdrops and sets being made in Mississippi.

It's perhaps fitting that "Madama Butterfly" opens this opera season, as Mississippi Opera is undergoing its own metamorphosis. Dean said the guild membership grew 300 percent in the past year. The opera company also started an outreach program, Co-Opera, that works with colleges to develop an appreciation of opera, and it is developing a family series.

To celebrate this production of "Madama Butterfly," Mississippi Opera commissioned a clay sculpture of Cio-Cio San from Columbia, Miss., sculptor Ben Watts. It will auction the 20-inch figure during intermission. Anyone interested can attend the Nov. 1 unveiling at 6 p.m. at Pan-Asia (720 Harbour Pointe Crossing, Ridgeland; 601.956.2958).

Mezzo-soprano Lester Senter Wilson and Ben Wilson will also give a lecture at that time about the history of the opera.

"It's the only opera company that I know of that has commissioned a statue to celebrate the opening of the opera," Dean said.

Mississippi Opera presents "Madama Butterfly" Nov. 12 in Thalia Mara Hall. The show begins at 7:30 p.m. Ticket prices range from $10 for children to $60 for adults. For tickets, go to http://www.msopera.org or call (601) 960-2300.