Your Cocoon, Madame

Everyone knows the image: a woman in a beautiful kimono is hitting notes that would normally peel paint off the walls in a voice so sweet, because her heart is breaking, and if you're in the audience, your heart is breaking too. Some people say Madame Butterfly--the story of a...

By Dianna Wray

May 20, 2010

[
        {
          "name": "Air - MediumRectangle - Inline Content - Mobile Display Size",
          "component": "18855504",
          "insertPoint": "2",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "2"
        },{
          "name": "Editor Picks",
          "component": "17105533",
          "insertPoint": "4",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "1"
        },{
          "name": "Inline Links",
          "component": "18349797",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Air - MediumRectangle - Combo - Inline Content",
          "component": "17105532",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Inline Links",
          "component": "18349797",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Air - Leaderboard Tower - Combo - Inline Content",
          "component": "17105535",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        }
      ]

Everyone knows the image: a woman in a beautiful kimono is hitting notes that would normally peel paint off the walls in a voice so sweet, because her heart is breaking, and if you're in the audience, your heart is breaking too. Some people say Madame Butterfly--the story of a woman in Imperial Japan who marries an American that goes away and forgets her--is one of the greatest operas ever written. Created by famed composer Giacomo Puccini in 1904, the opera flopped when it first premiered at the La Scala Opera House in Milan. There are opera houses, and there are opera houses, but flopping at La Scala was a big deal, not the least because the audience was a tough crowd--the kind that carries tomatoes. So Puccini went back and rewrote. And rewrote. And rewrote again, until the fourth version of the work became the most performed opera in the world. The Dallas Opera closes out its run of the classic at 7:30 p.m. Thursday and 2 p.m. Sunday at the Winspear Opera House, 2403 Flora St. Call 214-443-1000 or visit dallasopera.org for tickets.
Fri., May 7; Sun., May 9; Wed., May 12; Sat., May 15; Thu., May 20; Sun., May 23, 2010

KEEP THE OBSERVER FREE... Since we started the Dallas Observer, it has been defined as the free, independent voice of Dallas, and we'd like to keep it that way. Your membership allows us to continue offering readers access to our incisive coverage of local news, food, and culture with no paywalls. You can support us by joining as a member for as little as $1.