The M. BUTTERFLY National Tour 2019 will be onstage in Cebu from March 14-17 at SM Seaside City Centerstage. The first two legs of the tour covered Iloilo City (Feb. 14-17) and Dumaguete City (Feb. 28 – Mar. 3).
Presented by Tony and Grammy award winning producer Jhett Tolentino and FRONTROW Entertainment (producer of highly-acclaimed independent films Bhoy Intsik and Bwaya), the M. BUTTERFLY National Tour 2019 was decided upon by the producers to bring this world-class masterpiece to those who did not have the opportunity to catch its 2018 Manila run. After all, location should not limit one’s exposure to the arts and culture.
M. Butterfly is the Tony award-winning play by David Henry Hwang. It premiered on Broadway in 1988. It won 1988 Tony Award for Best Play, Best Feature Actor and Best Director. David Cronenberg directed the 1993 Hollywood movie starring Jeremy Irons and John Lone.
The story was influenced by Giacomo Puccini's tragic opera, Madama Butterfly. It is also based on the real-life relationship between French diplomat Bernard Boursicot and Shi Pei Pu, a Peking opera singer.
In Beijing traditional opera, all characters are played by male actors. A French civil servant, Rene Gallimard, becomes fascinated by Song Liling, a Chinese opera actor, not knowing this fact. They start a love affair that will last twenty years. A broken marriage, espionage, betrayal are just some of the themes explored in this production.
This revival production of David Henry Hwang’s M. BUTTERFLY is the winner of the 2018 ALIW AWARDS for Best Play, Best Actor and Best Director. It was also nominated for two Best Featured Actresses in a Play and Best Ensemble.
The ensemble cast is led by RS Francisco, Jenine Desiderio, Aira Igarta, Olivier Borten, Norm Mcleod, Lee O'Brien, Mayen Estañero and Maya Encila. Jasmin Salvo is the new opera singer for the National Tour.
When the play was originally staged in 1990 by Dulaang UP, RS Francisco played Song Liling and Behn Cervantes was Rene Gallimard.
Due to the sensitive topics intertwined in the play, recommended audience is 18-years-old and above.
The schedule of performances of M. BUTTERFLY in CEBU CITY are as follows:
Mar. 14 - Thursday - Opening Night - 7pm
Mar. 15 - Friday - 7pm
Mar. 16 - Saturday - 2pm / 7pm
Mar. 17 - Sunday - 2pm / 7pm
VENUE : SM Seaside City Centerstage
Tickets: SM Tickets through any SM Mall or SMTickets.com.
M. BUTTERFLY will also be performed in Davao City (Mar. 28 – 31), Manila (May 8 – 12; 15 – 19) and Baguio (May 30 – June 2).
Check out M. Butterfly at the following social media:
Facebook: /MButterflyPH
Twitter: @MButterflyPH
Instagram: @MButterflyPH
YouTube: MButterflyPH
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