The ideas explored in David Henry Hwang’s “M Butterfly” are timeless — cultural divides, gender clashes, political unrest. They play as well onstage today as they did when the drama first opened nearly two decades ago.
While Hwang was writing about a distinctly different time and set of conflicts when he penned “Butterfly” in the late 1980s, the underlying themes still cut uncomfortably close to today’s realities. So much so that when one character, a French government official, quips halfway through the show, “The Americans always want to know how welcome they will be,” we can’t help but snicker.
It’s important to remember, however, that “Butterfly” — which opened last weekend at the Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts — is, first and foremost, a love story. It is easy to let the show’s political and historical undertones take precedent.
The story, set during China’s Cultural Revolution, is recounted by Rene Gallimard (Mark Capri), a French diplomat who has been thrown in jail when we first meet him. He tells us he’d fallen in love with a beautiful Chinese opera star named Song Liling (Francis Jue), Gallimard’s beguiling “butterfly.” Looks are deceiving, though, as we quickly find out that Liling is not only a spy for the Chinese government but also a man.
To make matters more perplexing is the fact that this relationship lasted for more than 20 years before Gallimard discovered he’d been deceived. (For those of you thinking this sounds too unrealistic, even for theater, keep in mind that the playwright based his work on an article he’d stumbled across in The New York Times.)
This is a play that relies heavily on nuance. Unfortunately, that point seems a little lost on TheatreWorks director Robert Kelley, who, during the crucial first act, spins the affair between Gallimard and Liling into more of a comedy than a beautiful, gut-wrenching drama. The end result makes the central characters seem more plastic than real. It’s a pity given that the actors playing the star-crossed lovers — Capri and Jue — are extraordinary. Their talent is almost undermined by Kelley’s misguided vision.
Considering this is the second time Kelley has staged “Butterfly” (the first time was in 1992), you would think the kinks would have been worked out by now. By the time intermission rolls around, however, it is tempting to just pooh-pooh Kelley’s revival and call it a night. But then something magical happens when the lights come up again: Kelley finds his balance, and we finally start seeing some genuine emotion from the actors. Up until this point, the action had started to feel a little one-dimensional and bland.
Capri and Jue spent a lot of time telling us instead of showing us what we should be thinking. This also is the second go around for the two veteran actors, who took on the roles of Gallimard and Liling for TheatreWorks 14 years ago.
Capri comes across as nonchalant and a little pompous, traits he doesn’t really lose until his tragic, final monologue. Jue, likewise, presents a superficial front that seems more caricature than believable, which makes it doubly hard to fathom how Gallimard never once suspected Liling was pulling a fast one on him.
INFORMATION
What: TheatreWorks presents “M Butterfly” by David Henry Hwang
Where: Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts, 500 Castro St.
When: Tuesdays at 7:30 (no performance Sept. 12); Wednesdays through Fridays at 8 p.m.; Saturdays at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. (Sept. 9 at 8 p.m. only); Sundays at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. (Sept. 3 and 17 at 2 p.m. only, Sept. 10 at 7 p.m. only). Closes Sept. 17.
Cost: $20-$55
Contact: Call (650) 903-6000 or visit www.theatreworks.org
