Madama Butterfly - Nutshell Review by a Philistine

I truly respect the effort, but . . .

Last night, we went and saw Madama Butterfly at the Lyric Opera. First, let me start off with a few positives.

1. The place was packed - a LOT of people came out on a Wednesday night in Kansas City to see opera. That's pretty cool and impressive. The dress ranged from $800 suits and elegant dresses to jeans and t-shirts, and the people-watching was way above-average. For some reason, it seemed like a lot of couples were composed of short men and tall women. I don't know what that means, but that's what I saw.

2. Student rush tickets are only $10.

3. The set was great.

4. The performers were, to my untrained eye and ear, nearly flawless. I didn't catch any flat notes, and their voices sounded just like what opera sounds like when I see it portrayed elsewhere. People who looked like they knew their stuff stood at the end and yelled "Bravo!" with astonishingly loud voices.

5. The Lyric Opera Theater is pretty, and there's lots of legroom.

On the other hand . . .

1. This thing is long. It started at 7:30, and went to around 10:30. For someone trying to develop a taste for opera, this is kind of like trying to develop a taste for hotdogs at a hotdog eating contest.

2. The characters are stupid. Not a shred of emotional or other intelligence appears on the stage. It's hard for me to develop a connection with someone so prone to emotional excess and a lack of critical thinking. I know my share of nutcases in real life, but these people are beyond acceptable.

3. The singing just doesn't grab me. I can respect its beauty, and I think I could learn to love snatches of it, but to hear 3 hours of operatic voices soaring on everything from "would you like a cigarette?" to "go away, kid, I'm about to jab this dagger through myself" is kind of wearying. I remember that scene in Philadelphia where Tom Hanks plays opera and it is absolutely spellbinding - for a few minutes. Maybe that much emotional richness needs to come in smaller bites for someone like me.

In summary . . .

I'm glad I went, and I'll go again. It certainly beat sitting on my couch and channel surfing, and Robin enjoyed it, so it was time well spent. But, honestly, it did not engage me on a deep level. Fast Johnny Ricker is more my speed at this point in my life.