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I attended the performances on 16 October and 17 October. The cast list was as follows:
16/10
Butterfly: Xia Haiying
Pinkerton: Nicholas Paul Leschke
Suzuki: Sakura Shimizu
Goro: Mohd Noor Sarman
Sharpless: Jacek Bres
17/10
Butterfly: Goh Chan Hon
Pinkerton: Geon van der Wyst
Suzuki: Sakura Shimizu
Goro: Steven Woodgate
Sharpless: Jacek Bres
I really liked Welch's choreography, especially Act 2. Act 1 didn't flow quite as well and the problem was evident both nights I saw it. The pace tended to drag a little in the first Act, especially the section prior to the Wedding Ceremony. The ballet is a straightforward story-ballet with few opportunities to showcase the talents of individual dancers save the principals. There were no extended solo bits but a lot of corps work, which worked fine with me.
Despite the star billing of the 17/10 performance, I felt the show on 16/10 moved me more. Was moved to tears when Butterfly killed herself and that came from sitting in the 2nd circle! I was in the stalls the following night and the projection somehow didn't come through. The performance was less affecting, and my sentiments were echoed by the muted applause given by the audience. On the 16th, whistles and cat calls were heard at the close of each act, and not just when the principals came forward to take their bows. For what it's worth, standing ovations were also more spontaneously given on the night of the 16th.
Xia Haiying (one of the nominees for this year's Benois de la danse) may not have been as technically complete as Goh Chan Hon but her performance was rich in dramatic prowess one could note the fine characterisation which she brought to the role. She was sweet and tender without being too childish and her anguish was heart-wrenching. Her arms are also the most fluid I've ever seen, absolutely liquid and boneless- her port de bras was exquisite. Her balances were not quite as steady and her legs are quite muscular when compared to her upper body but she more than made up for it with her wonderful artistry and musicality. Goh totally didn't reach me in Act 1. She was technically amazing but I felt her performance did not project; I felt nothing for the sweet innocent young thing on stage. Perhaps she was too comfortable in the role and that transformed into complacency. In any case, it was not memorable. She redeemed herself, however, in Act 2, when she was all energy and emotion. There, technique and drama met and fused, resulting in a powerful powerful closure. I loved her risk-taking and her balances and only wished she'd invested more in the first Act.
There was not much to choose between Leschke and van der Wyst although I preferred Leshcke's portrayal. He was more earnest than flippant in the Wedding Scene, which made his remorse at the end of the ballet more believable. van der Wyst was the better partner amongst the two and I felt his characterisation was well thought-out, although there were lapses in technique in the first Act.
Among the secondary characters, Woodgate's Goro was hilarious and rightfully deserved the applause he received at the end of the show.
On the whole, the ballet is well-worth a watch, even two, although I believe some tweaking as to the pace can be done to further tighten the piece.
Hope this hasn't put anyone to sleep- I'm more at ease giving theatre reviews than ballet critiques. :sweating: As a side-note, has anyone noticed that Puccini's score during Ora a Noi very closely mirrors 'Bring Him Home' from Les Mis? Some of the phrases are identical and the structure of the piece is very similar as well. For those who've seen Butterfly, it's the bit where Suzuki and the Butterfly double perform the shadowplay behind the screens while waiting for Pinkerton to arrive.
