March 25, 2026
From our audience: "Madama Butterfly"
Puccini's Madama Butterfly opened on March 14 to thunderous applause. “Matthew Ozawa shakes the Orientalist flower petals off the famous Puccini opera to offer a modern, vulnerable production,” noted Chicago magazine. “The framing is ingenious,” wrote Alex Ross of The New Yorker in 2023, “because it compensates for the opera’s misbegotten notions of Japan.” Opening night audiences in Chicago responded to the work's vivid power with an immediate standing ovation at the curtain call. See what they had to say!
Karah Son (Cio-Cio-San), Florence Agpalo (Trouble), and Nozomi Kato (Suzuki) in Lyric's production of Madama Butterfly.
What a contemporary approach to Madama Butterfly. Exceptional performance. Son’s powerful and exquisite voice brought a vibrant, exciting, and passionate interpretation to the role
Matthew Ozawa hit it out of the park with this production of Butterfly. We all really enjoyed it.
The BEST Butterfly I have ever seen. Outstanding singing, beautiful set, [and] costumes. Great music by the terrific and talented Lyric Opera Orchestra!
I loved how multilayered this production was. How carefully and creatively the story was handled. It was a delightful, painfully beautiful, cathartic opera experience I'll treasure. Oh, and this morning I woke up singing arias from this opera, and bought a ticket for the March 19 performance.
Zachary Nelson (Sharpless) and Evan LeRoy Johnson (Pinkerton) in Lyric's production of Madama Butterfly.
Extraordinary! Powerful and transforming experience.
I liked the fresh approach. The issues of being 'truly seen' or being objectified in a relationship resonate today. The emotional content was heightened by the new set and reinterpretation of the libretto! The music was wonderful and the artists deserve many bravos.
I have never seen this opera before and I was blown away. It was so beautiful and the performers were all amazing.
Outrageously effective, a brilliant production in every way…this is a production I will never forget.
Karah Son (Cio-Cio-San) and Nozomi Kato (Suzuki) in Lyric's production of Madama Butterfly.
I played in the orchestra at Lyric Opera for 46 years. Butterfly is my favorite opera, and I played it over 100 times. I believe that you have created a production that will keep Butterfly relevant for the next 100 years while leaving the beauty of the original untouched. It’s one of the most successful modern productions I have ever seen. Bravo and thank you!
I have seen several excellent Butterflys at Lyric throughout the years, but this may be my favorite!
Superlative in every facet. Go see it!
