Ever since it opened the 2006–07 season, Anthony Minghella’s striking production of Madama Butterfly has been a Met classic. Drawing inspiration from traditional Japanese theater, Minghella’s staging retells this heartbreaking tale with brilliant stagecraft, bold colors, and bunraku puppetry. In this Live in HD performance from the fall of 2019, Chinese soprano Hui He stars as Cio-Cio-San, the young geisha who puts her trust in a visiting American naval officer, only to later be abandoned by him. In a feat of operatic heroics, tenor Bruce Sledge appears as the callous Pinkterton, stepping into the role on short notice to replace an ailing colleague. Pier Giorgio Morandi conducts one of opera’s most tragic masterpieces, leading a cast that also includes mezzo-soprano Elizabeth DeShong as Cio-Cio-San’s loyal companion, Suzuki, and Tony Award–winning baritone Paulo Szot as the U.S. consul Sharpless.
Hui He
as Cio-Cio-san
Bruce Sledge
as Lt. B.F. Pinkerton
Scott Scully
as Goro
Elizabeth DeShong
as Suzuki
Paulo Szot
as U.S. Consul Sharpless
Bradley Garvin
as Imperial Commitionor
Juhwan Lee
as The Registrar
Raymond Aceto
as The Bonze
Jeongcheol Cha
as Prince Yamadori
Christine Goerke
as Self - Host
Elizabeth Scilbo
as Cio-Cio-San's Cousin
Marie Te Hapuku
as Cio-Cio-San's Mother
