disorientation
“A music review on Monday about the opera ‘Prima Donna’ by Rufus Wainwright, in which the character Régine at one points asks ‘Who is this woman?’ and thus recalls a similar question in ‘Madama Butterfly,’ misidentified the character in that opera who asks about a woman’s identity. She is Suzuki, Butterfly’s servant — not Butterfly.’ [Corrections, NYT]
butterfly asks it also.
One can only imagine how many screaming opera queens must have called the Times for them to bother with this kind of correction!
@OhNO
Yes, but the review said that Butterfly asks Pinkerton the question. It is Suzuki who asks Pinkteron the question while Butterly is asleep inside the house. Later, when Butterly is the questioner, she asks Sharpless (Pinkteron has temporarily fled).
Hard to believe I took the time to write that. I am sure you all know the opera well enough.
Actually, no. Butterfly does not ask, although it could perhaps be defended that she implies a question. The exchange with Sharpless is:
B: Oh, that woman! She makes me so afraid, so afraid.
S: She’s the innocent cause of all your misery. Forgive her.*
B: Ah! She’s his wife. Everything is dead for me, everything is finished.
* In the La Scala premiere version, Kate had this line and many more as well. In her mouth it read: I’m the innocent cause of all your misery. Forgive me.
I think it’s significant that Suzuki asks and and keeps asking with ever-greater urgency until Sharpless finally tells her. Butterfly doesn’t ask–on some level she, in denial throughout the entire second act, intuitively KNOWS. It’s a small detail, but of such details are good plays and libretti made.
I think it’s a production of The Mikado from a puppet theater at Tsarskoe Selo in which all the singers are impersonated by nested wooden dolls.
Or The Rake’s Progress.