Divaria Productions Revives Puccini’s Classic: A Celebratory Performance of ‘Madame Butterfly’ at Bay Street Theater

Divaria Productions brings opera back to Bay Street at 8 p.m. on October 19th with Madame Butterfly, an adaptation based on the original opera by Giacomo Puccini. Internationally acclaimed and a special friend to Hamptons.com (Soprano) Ashley Galvani Bell, the Founder of Divaria Productions, excitedly shared her thoughts on this production.

She said, “We are thrilled to have one of the most accomplished casts to yet grace Bay Street Theatre’s stage!” Included in the cast is Metropolitan Opera 29-year company member Richard Bernstein, who just performed the role of the Bonze in Madama Butterfly at the Metropolitan Opera, which audiences might have seen in the HD Broadcast. He will be reprising this role in the Bay  Street production. She also included that, “We also have Metropolitan Opera tenor Errin Brooks as Pinkerton, whom audiences might remember from performances in Porgy and Bess and Magic Flute, as well as Grammy Award-winning tenor John Easterlin of Phantom of the Opera fame playing Goro.” Then there is  “Baritone Michael Nansel, who has performed with us for the past three years; he will sing the role of Sharpless, fresh off his summer as Old Deuteronomy in Cats at the Utah Musical Theatre Festival.” Ms. Bell added,  “And Mezzo-soprano Anna Tonna, who performed Queen Elizabeth in our award-winning documentary opera film Rival Queens, will be singing the role of Suzuki. Our musical director is a very talented young Spanish prodigy, Sergio Martinez Zangroniz, and he will lead the string quartet of musicians drawn from the New Asia Chamber Music Society, run by the brilliant violist Andy Lin.”

Ms. Bell pointed out that Madam Butterfly was selected because this is the 100th anniversary of Giacomo Puccini’s death and throughout the world, noting, “People are commemorating this momentous occasion.” To illustrate this point, Ms. Bell said, “ I have been fortunate to perform in 3-anniversary concerts so far, including  in Bryant Park with New York City Opera, which surprisingly drew 5000 and 6000 on consecutive nights, clearly demonstrating that Puccini is a composer with whom audiences resonate on a deep level.”  She wanted to continue in this year-long celebration of the Puccini legacy, “… by presenting one of his most famous works, Madame Butterfly, because it has a very special place in my heart not only because it is one of my favorite operas and favorite roles to sing vocally, but also because of my identification with aspects of the character of Cio Cio San and also with issues inherent in this story.  Cio Cio San is a character guided by a strong faith and conviction in what she believes.  I, as a person of faith, feel like that’s where I can help breathe life into this character.  The story, although set in Japan, deals with many issues that we are still grappling with today in many corners of the globe.” 

Ashley Galvani Bell detailed how this opera tells of a cultural clash arising because of a misunderstanding between two different perceptions of reality, a clash that grew out of the effects of imperialism on ordinary people living at the turn of the 20th century. While Ms. Bell was at Yale, she majored in International Studies, focusing on the effects of globalization on culture and on international migration. She emphasized, “So this is an issue that is near and dear to my heart. I hope that audiences might be able to compare this tragedy with events in today’s world and envision how we might be able to prevent similar conflicts/clashes in the future.”

Divaria Productions is collaborating with members of the community for this show. Young Olivia Fromm, age 7, who has danced ballet for three years with Studio 3 and performed in Bay Street’s summer camps, will be playing the pivotal role of Dolore. Members of the Suffolk Symphonic Choir, directed by Brad Drinkwater, will perform a choral piece. In addition, they are working with the Dance Theatre of the Hamptons, who will also perform some choreography. Bell exclaimed,  “We are thrilled to have members of our community performing side by side with international, world-renowned artists.” New this year is the incorporation of Dance with choreographers Momo Suzki and Kevin Suzuki of the Japanese Folk Dance Institute of New York choreographing a piece for dancer Yumiko Niimi. 

Anton Armendariz Diaz is back at Bay Street for his 10th year to lend his unique creativity and vision as the stage director of Madame Butterfly. He has had a very interesting year, expanding his expertise to incorporate projections in his projects, including a hologram artificial intelligence production that has been successfully presented in several venues in Spain. Ms. Bell added, “Bay Street took a risk back in 2015, presenting the first ever live opera at the Theatre with our adaptation of La Traviata, and we are so thrilled that they have stuck with us and supported us for the past ten years.”