That’s the question the Royal Opera House set out to answer when it launched a year-long consultation on how to better respect Japanese culture in its production. “Rather than cancelling the whole show, the Royal Opera House wanted to be in dialogue with it,” said Sonoko Kamimura, an expert in Japanese movement who has been working on the revival, opening to audiences on 14 June. It has been performed by the Royal Opera 416 times, making it the ninth-most performed work in the company’s repertoire. According to Kamimura, the stereotypical “Japanese” movement often found in European and North American performances of Madama Butterfly often goes hand in hand with costume and makeup. The Royal Opera House said its productions, performers and creative teams had a role in defining the future of opera, including which stories were told, how they were interpreted and who got to make them.

Source: The Times June 05, 2022 17:49 UTC