By La Cieca 
As anotherjj was quick to deduce, the lady in the kitchenette was indeed Cio-Cio-San. La Cieca will note in passing that she searched through perhaps three dozen productions of Madama Butterfly until she could find one that didn’t immediately give the game away. No matter where one goes, the Japanese Tragedy is going to feature kimonos and cherry blossoms.
And speaking of kimonos…
James Jorden (who wrote under the names "La Cieca" and "Our Own JJ") was the founder and editor of parterre box. During his 20 year career as an opera critic he wrote for the New York Times, Opera, Gay City News, Opera Now, Musical America and the New York Post. He also raised his voice in punditry on National Public Radio. From time to time he directed opera, including three unsuccessful productions of Don Giovanni. He also contributed a regular column on opera for the New York Observer. James died in October 2023.
Parterre Box concludes the thrilling first year of Talk of the Town by inviting your lightning rod opinions on several more categories of operatic argumentation.
