Madama Butterfly at Fenice Theatre in October

A Madama Butterfly by Mariko Mori

After the success of the summer, Puccini’s Madama Butterly returns to the Teatro La Fenice under the direction of Àlex Rigola and w of Omer Meir Wellber. It is a production by Fondazione Teatro La Fenice, produced as a special project for the 55. International Art Exhibition in Venice.

Puccini chose the subject of this opera after seeing the homonymus tragedy by David Belasco in London, in July 1900, in turn inspired by a novel titled Madama Butterfly by the American John Luther Long. The composer relentlessly and meticulosly studied the oriental elements he introduced in the Opera. He was particulary helped by Sada Yacco, a famous Japanese actress an wife to the Japanese ambassador in Italy, who described the uses and customs of her fellow countrymen.

Sets and costumes are by Mariko Mori: Mariko is a Japanese artist who always mixes traditional Japanese shapes and atmospheres with hyper-techological futurist scenarios. After attending the Bunka Fashion College in Tokyo, working at the same time as a model and as fashion designer, she has used advanced techology and photography to create works of art of sometimes large dimensions.

Influenced by western contemporay art, especially by Pop Art, she is inspired by artist such as Andy Warhol and Cindy Sherman. The costumes and scenes created for La Fenice’ s Butterfly is a mix of technology and manga, but also of Buddhism and ancient Japanese tradition, through which Mariko Mori established full contact with Puccini’s libretto, bringing to the stage a futurist universe made of fluorescent dolmens and monumental cybernetics.

The Opera will be represented on October 17, 20, 24, 27, 29, 31.

For information and reservation info@in-venice.com