Search results
M. Butterfly is a play by David Henry Hwang. The story, while entwined with that of the opera Madama Butterfly, is based most directly on the relationship between French diplomat Bernard Boursicot and Shi Pei Pu, a Beijing opera singer. The play premiered on Broadway in 1988 and won the 1988 Tony Award for Best Play.
In despair and sorrow, Madame Butterfly commits suicide. Gallimard’s memory takes him back to 1960, in Beijing, China. At the house of the German ambassador, Gallimard, a minor French diplomat, hears Song, a Chinese male actor, perform the death scene from Madame Butterfly.
Hwang adapted M. Butterfly for the screen in 1993, and he revised the text again for a 2017 stage revival of the play to reflect more current discourse on intersectional identities. Read the full play summary, the full play analysis, and explanations of important quotes in M. Butterfly.
He introduces himself to the audience as “Rene Gallimard — also known as Madame Butterfly.” Then, just as the heroine of Puccini’s opera does, he commits suicide with a hara-kiri knife. As Gallimard lies dead, Song appears onstage smoking a cigarette and staring at Gallimard’s fallen body.
Hwang refrained from researching Bouriscot’s case in depth while writing M. Butterfly because, according to his Author’s Notes, he “didn’t want the ‘truth’ to interfere with my own speculations.”
M. Butterfly is a tragic love story between two people from disparate cultures, an espionage thriller, a commentary on sexuality, and a plea for human love and intimacy. The play uses modern staging to create twists on conventional theatrical devices, such as cross-dressing and plays within plays.
He is driven to suicide. To help the reader assess the development of Gallimard’s sexual outlook, Hwang also provides Gallimard’s recollections of his sexual experiences. For example, in 1947...
