Karah Son is brilliant in Australia Opera’s Madama Butterfly

Moffatt Oxenbould’s Madama Butterfly is having its last hurrah at the venerable Capitol Theatre.

Karah Son as Cio-Cio-San and Diego Torre as Pinkerton in Opera Australia's production of Madama Butterfly at the Capitol Theatre. Photo: Prudence Upton

Moffatt Oxenbould’s 1997 Opera Australia production of Madama Butterfly was acclaimed from the outset for its power, intelligence, sensitivity and inventiveness.

Twenty years on, its impact is ­undimmed. But for reasons best known to the company, it has ­decided that it is time to retire the production. As the Joan Sutherland Theatre continues to be out of action because of renovations at the Sydney Opera House, Oxenbould’s Madama Butterfly is having its last hurrah at the venerable Capitol Theatre.

One of the winning features of this version was the sense of spaciousness it created in the restricted confines of the Opera House Theatre. On the larger Capitol Theatre stage, it took flight. The ending of the first act’s love duet, when the backdrop was raised to reveal a starry moonlit night, seemed more beguiling than ever.

Vibrant, elegant and ingeniously incorporating the Japanese theatre traditions of noh, kabuki and bunraku, this production is still as captivating as it was on first sight. It is hard to imagine age ever wearying it. The Capitol Theatre’s larger pit resulted in more prominent and strongly projected orchestral playing compared with the Opera House. With conductor Brian Castles-Onion driving things forward at a cracking pace, the OA orchestra generated regular ­moments of high drama yet never hijacked the onstage action in the more ­reflective passages.

Any production of Madama Butterfly rises or falls on the performance of the lead singer. Korean soprano Karah Son triumphed in the role. Sustaining a firm line and focused tone, she unveiled a rich array of colours and revealed a strong high register. Her soft-grained, well-sustained sotto voce singing was equally impressive.

Son also captured her character’s emotional complexity. Her transformation from innocent child-bride to mature woman was completely convincing, strong-willed and sweet-natured by turns. Her dignified, intensely compelling performance powerfully portrayed Butterfly’s tragedy.

As Lieutenant BF Pinkerton, tenor Diego Torre impressed with his penetrating power and upper register strength. What made his interpretation particularly intri­guing was how he conveyed an underlying sense of melancholy as Act I’s carefree, devil-may-care adventurer and fervent lover. The emotional pay-off came in Act II. Torre’s distraught Pinkerton completely understood the devastating consequences of his actions.

Barry Ryan’s wise, world-weary Sharpless and Sian Pendry’s sympathetic Suzuki offered strongly sung support while the rest of the smaller characters were effectively realised. However, it was the combination of Son’s powerful performance and the last-chance-to-see drawcard of Oxenbould’s beautiful vision that made this a night to remember.

Madama Butterfly by Puccini. Opera Australia. Director: Moffat Oxenbould. Revival director: Hugh Halliday. Conductor: Brian Castles-Onion. Capitol Theatre, Sydney. October 24.

Tickets: $65-$189. Bookings: [phone] or online. Duration: 2hr 45min, including interval. Until November 4.