Featuring an expansion of movement and original compositions, SF Playhouse presents David Henry Hwang\u2019s beautifully written \u201cM. Butterfly\u201d from Feb. 5 through March 14.<\/p>\n
Hwang\u2019s inherently complex story of French diplomat Rene Gallimard (Dean Linnard) and his 20-year affair with Chinese opera singer Song Liling (Edric Young) draws upon Puccini\u2019s opera \u201cMadama Butterfly\u201d and the actual love story of French diplomat Bernard Boursicot and Beijing opera singer Shi Pei Pu.<\/p>\n
The play opens on Gallimard in his cell serving a sentence for treason. In a series of flashbacks, he tells of his love for Liling, who was disguised as a beautiful woman to extract information from him.<\/p>\n
\u201cDavid Henry Hwang\u2019s masterpiece, part political thriller, part intimate tragedy, offers a rare lens through which we can examine the cultural misunderstandings, projections and power dynamics that continue to plague global relations today,\u201d said SF Playhouse Artistic Director Bill English. \u201cThe play invites us to confront the seductive myths that nations and individuals cling to, misconceptions about gender and identity, and the dangerous allure of seeing only what we want to see.\u201d<\/p>\n
Writer, director, choreographer, actor, dancer and aerialist Bridgette Loriaux is uniquely qualified to bring Hwang\u2019s complicated story to life.<\/p>\n
\u201cDavid [Hwang] has provided three scripted moments of music or movement, but I felt there was a lot of opportunity to bring even more movement to the show,\u201d said Loriaux. \u201cWe\u2019re expanding the opening sequence and rather than acrobats, we\u2019re focusing on Song and making it a more traditional moment from Peking Opera\u2019s \u2018Drunken Beauty.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
Loriaux opens Act II with an operatic sequence featuring highly theatrical dance-like movements.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve added little glints throughout the show that lift the language,\u201d Loriaux said. \u201cI think these images \u2014 these dreams \u2014 are keeping him [Gallimard] alive in his cell. I really wanted these moments to pop and to really delight. These moments \u2014 his dreams, his memories \u2014 were spectacular for him, and I wanted to try and create that for the audience through movement.\u201d<\/p>\n
These \u201clittle glints\u201d allow Loriaux to utilize to the fullest her multi-talented cast of 10 as she creates additional singing, dancing and physical theater to the play. Loriaux has also changed the gender of several characters with Ambassador Toulon portrayed by actress Stacy Ross, the traditionally male judge played by Catherine Luedtke and the conventionally female Comrade Chin performed by Anthony Doan.<\/p>\n
Loriaux has also called upon the talents of composer David C. Warner and sound designer James Ard to enrich the show with original music.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s such an honor to work once again with these incredible artists. David is so inspiring to me. He even learned how to play Chinese instruments for this production,\u201d said Loriaux. \u201cTo have David and James, who has a very unique way of doing sound and creating worlds for us, on this project together is just a dream.\u201d<\/p>\n
Loriaux is also grateful for the full support she has received from SF Playhouse. She refers to founders in English and Susi Damilano as \u201cart warriors\u201d paving the way for artists to take risks and create compassionate work.<\/p>\n
\u201cWatching these actors diving and soaring through these scenes, navigating this unknown territory, it\u2019s so exciting, and I\u2019m so grateful for all the support from Bill and Susi,\u201d Loriaux said. \u201cAll 10 of these relationships are very crucial and integral to the story of Song and Gallimard, a love affair that has rippled out and affected the other eight characters. I hope it will affect the audience and help them reflect on themselves. This play is like a diamond with 1,000 facets \u2014 it\u2019s very complex and heartbreaking.\u201d<\/p>\n
For tickets to \u201cM. Butterfly,\u201d call 415-677-9596 or go to sfplayhouse.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n Oakland: Oakland Theater Project takes us back to April 3, 1968, on the eve of Dr. Martin Luther King\u2019s assassination. He has just delivered his famous sermon \u201cI\u2019ve Been to the Mountaintop\u201d at Mason Temple for striking sanitation workers and has returned to his hotel room in Memphis. The following day his life will tragically end.<\/p>\n What happened in the hours immediately preceding his assassination receives an electrifying re-imagining of King\u2019s final night by playwright Katori Hall.<\/p>\n \u201cToday, as we enter the 250th anniversary year of the United States, it is ironic that freedom in all of its forms is being threatened,\u201d said OTP Executive Artistic Director Michael Socrates Moran. \u201c\u2018The Mountaintop\u2019 reveals the man behind the idol and what it costs to pursue freedom in the face of tyranny. This play continues OTP\u2019s pursuit of plays intermixing the political with the spiritual in hopes that the work both heals and invigorates our community as we continue to find a way to march forward.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe Mountaintop\u201d runs Feb. 5-15 at 1501 Martin Luther King Jr. Way in Oakland. Call 510-646-1126 or go to oaklandtheaterproject.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n Reach Sally Hogarty at sallyhogarty@gmail.com<\/a>, and read more of her reviews online at eastbaytimes.com\/author\/sally-hogarty<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Featuring an expansion of movement and original compositions, SF Playhouse presents David Henry Hwang\u2019s beautifully written \u201cM. Butterfly\u201d…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":149985,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[30],"tags":[2245,74307,2248,2241,1472,2246,2242,967,2240,2562,2244,2239,101,103,102,2247,104,106,105,52436,2243,1058],"class_list":["post-149984","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-san-francisco","tag-acting","tag-bridgette-loriaux","tag-choreography","tag-comedy","tag-dance","tag-directing","tag-drama","tag-entertainment","tag-musicals","tag-oakland-theater-project","tag-on-stage","tag-performing-arts","tag-san-francisco","tag-san-francisco-headlines","tag-san-francisco-news","tag-screenwriting","tag-sf","tag-sf-headlines","tag-sf-news","tag-sf-playhouse","tag-singing","tag-theater"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/149984","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=149984"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/149984\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/149985"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=149984"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=149984"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=149984"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}