MADAMA BUTTERFLY Comes to Soka Performing Arts Center

Passion, romance and tragedy come to Soka Performing Arts Center on March 1 with the staging of Giacomo Puccini’s most famous opera, Madama Butterfly. The production continues the commitment of the Parnassus Society and Soka Performing Arts Center to bring top-quality opera to Orange County’s many devoted fans.

Set in 1904, Madama Butterfly’s story revolves around a U.S. naval officer who marries a young Japanese woman out of convenience then abruptly abandons her. The tragedy deepens when he comes back to claim their child.

The Soka performance captures Puccini’s dramatic vibrancy with an impressive and seasoned cast, supported by the Parnassus Virtuosi Orchestra and the Orange County School of the Arts Puccini Chorus.

Costumes, of course, will also play a crucial part in this dazzling production.

Parnassus Society founder and chief underwriter Dr. Kenneth Tokita is most eager to see this performance – the sixth Madama Butterfly for him and his wife Sandra Tokita, cofounder of Parnassus Society – because the Japanese female characters will be dressed authentically in kimonos.

“I’ve never seen it with true Japanese kimonos. It will be fun to see them,” Tokita says. “They’re really beautiful.”

This hidden gem in the Soka presentation comes courtesy of Sandra Tokita’s hairdresser, who goes by the single name Makoto. Fascination and respect for the art of correctly wrapping a kimono led him to study the technique in Japan.

“It’s a special talent,” says Tokita, who got to see the hairdresser’s handiwork up close.

“He dressed some of the ladies the other day for a get-together. It was spectacular.”

Tokita is a radiation oncologist who opened the Cancer Center of Irvine in early 2000. Los Angeles County transplants, the Tokitas, both 82, settled in Irvine in 2005.

The couple, who recently celebrated their 56th anniversary, are longtime patrons of the arts. They’ve dedicated a significant financial commitment to the nonprofit Parnassus Society. All programs sponsored by Parnassus Society are presented at Soka Performing Arts Center under a partnership that benefits both entities. Soka Performing Arts Center makes the hall and its staff available at a nominal fee. Parnassus picks up the tab to bring in the artists and stage the shows.

According to Tokita, it typically costs about $80,000 to stage the annual opera. He and his wife support to some extent additional programs at Soka as well, including the annual Great Pianists series and other classical music concerts.

“Dr. Tokita’s generous sponsorship has enabled us to bring some of the greatest pianists in the world here,” says Renee Bodie, the center’s general manager and artistic director. “And providing the expanded genre of opera – that is wonderful for our patrons to be able to experience.”

Parnassus Society works to trim expenses without sacrificing quality.

Madama Butterfly, a show that can exceed two hours, will be an afternoon performance at Soka of about 100 minutes, including intermission, with a downsized set design.

The condensed length helps avoid the expense of paying overtime wages to the musicians – an extra $4,000 or so for every 15 minutes over, according to Parnassus Society artistic director Cheryl Lin Fielding.

“I work with the conductor to decide how to keep the essence of the story, the most beautiful parts,” says Fielding, a sought-after classical pianist and vocal coach who has taught at UCLA and the Dolora Zajick Institute for Young Dramatic Voices.

Opportunities in Orange County to attend an opera have dwindled since the 2008 collapse of its lone professional company, Opera Pacific.

While Parnassus Society brings opera to Soka only once a season, it aims to expose more – and younger – people to the art form.

Last year about 200 tickets were purchased.

“This year I thought if we sold 250 tickets I’d be thrilled,” Tokita says. “But we’re way past 300. It’s growing. I’m really happy with that.”

Bodie says she also notices a more youthful audience – people in their 30s and 40s. “Often when you go to an opera performance, you see an older audience. It is wonderful to begin to see younger people getting to know opera.”

The funny thing is, Tokita was in his 70s when he became a fan.

The Tokitas had long loved and supported classical music; they served on the board of the Los Angeles Philharmonic. They listened to opera off and on but didn’t begin to really enjoy it until about a decade ago.

The Tokitas became totally enraptured after flying to New York City in 2020 to witness the famed mezzo-soprano Dolora Zajick’s final performance at New York’s Metropolitan Opera. She sang the role of Amneris in Aida.

“We were just overwhelmed,” Tokita says. “It was beautiful.”

Tokita hopes the audience leaves Madama Butterfly with a similar feeling.

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