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M. Butterfly Revival 2017

Ages: 14+
Opened: October 26, 2017
Closing: December 17, 2017

M. Butterfly - 2017 Broadway History , Info & More

David Henry Hwang's modern classic, M. BUTTERFLY charts the scandalous romance between a married French diplomat and a mysterious Chinese opera singer - a remarkable love story of international espionage and personal betrayal. Their 20-year relationship pushed and blurred the boundaries between male and female, east and west - while redefining the nature of love and the devastating cost of deceit.

Academy Award nominee and Golden Globe Award winner Clive Owen will star as Rene Gallimard in the first Broadway revival of David Henry Hwang's Tony Award-winning play, M. BUTTERFLY, directed by Tony Award winner Julie Taymor.

For the Tony Award-winning play's first Broadway return, Hwang will introduce new material inspired by the real-life love affair between French diplomat Bernard Boursicot and Chinese opera singer Shi Pei Pu that has come to light since the play's 1988 premiere.


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PREVIEW M. Butterfly - 2017 - Broadway

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FEATURED REVIEWS FOR M. Butterfly

Broadway Review: In ‘M. Butterfly’ Clive Owen Plays The Seducer Seduced
6 / 10

Physically and cerebrally Clive Owen has the chameleonic qualities that define a certain kind of star charisma: He's handsome but not pretty; suave in a way that practically advertises insecurity; glib yet always on alert for the surgical riposte. All of which make the Knick star perfect for the role of Rene Gallimard, the French diplomat who falls in love with a Chinese opera star, in David Henry Hwang's electrifying drama M. Butterfly.

M. Butterfly
8 / 10

Three decades later, M. Butterfly remains provocative and timely, with a great deal to unpack-in part because Hwang, in an unusually extensive revision of the text for its current Broadway revival, has stuffed it with new information. The humiliated Rene Gallimard (Clive Owen) still begins the play in the cocoon of a French prison cell, guiding the audience through flashbacks to his time with Song Liling (Jin Ha, continuously intriguing). But the nature of their intercultural romance has shifted. When they meet in this version, Gallimard knows that Song is male; Song must invent a far-fetched family history to convince him otherwise. These changes, among others, help shift the storytelling away from symbolism and toward a more specific account of a particular relationship, albeit a bizarre one. Aside from lively dance sequences set at the Peking Opera-which was traditionally all-male, Song notes, 'Because only a man knows how a woman is supposed to act'-there are few spectacular flourishes.

Photo Flash: Lori Tan Chinn Visits M. BUTTERFLY
by Stephi Wild - December 16, 2017


'Orange is the New Black' star and Broadway vet Lori Tan Chinn received a warm welcome at the Cort Theatre last night from the cast of the Broadway revival of David Henry Hwang's Tony Award -winning play, M. Butterfly.

Happy Trails: M. BUTTERFLY Flies Away- Final Broadway Performance Today
by Nicole Rosky - December 17, 2017


Before she flies away for good, we're charting Butterfly's course to Broadway below!

M. BUTTERFLY Will Now Play Final Broadway Performance This Weekend
by Nicole Rosky - December 12, 2017


The first Broadway revival of David Henry Hwang's Tony Award -winning play, M. BUTTERFLY will play its final performance on Sunday, December 17, 2017, after playing 19 previews and 61 regular performances at the Cort Theatre (138 W 48th Street).

David Henry Hwang Explores THE SOUND OF M. BUTTERFLY Today at Rubin Museum
by BWW News Desk - December 8, 2017


Sound permeates our daily lives and shapes our existence. From 'ear yoga' to Buddhist-inspired opera, talks and programs this fall build on themes in Rubin Museum's newest exhibition, The World Is Sound. For more about the exhibition, visit RubinMuseum.org/Wavelength, and scroll down for related talks, films and experiences, including a panel with David Henry Hwang about Broadway's M. Butterfly!

M. BUTTERFLY Revival Announces Final Flutter on Broadway
by BWW News Desk - November 28, 2017


The first Broadway revival of David Henry Hwang's Tony Award-winning play, M. Butterfly will play its final performance on Sunday, January 14, 2018 after playing 19 previews and 93 regular performances at the Cort Theatre (138 W 48th Street).

BWW Review: Julie Taymor Directs Revised Version of David Henry Hwang's Tony Winner M. BUTTERFLY
by Michael Dale - November 18, 2017


When David Henry Hwang's 1988 Best Play Tony-winner M. BUTTERFLY, inspired by the romance between French diplomat Bernard Boursicot and Peking opera singer Shi Pei Pu, who the Frenchman didn't know was a) a Communist spy, and b) a man, first played on Broadway, there was a not so small detail that tended to baffle audience members.

BWW Interview: Celeste Den Conducts Dangerous Liaisons in M. BUTTERFLY
by Naomi Serviss - November 13, 2017


In her Broadway debut, Den is acting in a play that she says 'had a orofound effect on me' from the time she first read it while in high school.

David Henry Hwang to Explore THE SOUND OF M. BUTTERFLY at Rubin Museum
by BWW News Desk - November 6, 2017


Sound permeates our daily lives and shapes our existence. From 'ear yoga' to Buddhist-inspired opera, talks and programs this fall build on themes in Rubin Museum's newest exhibition, The World Is Sound. For more about the exhibition, visit RubinMuseum.org/Wavelength, and scroll down for related talks, films and experiences, including a panel with David Henry Hwang about Broadway's M. Butterfly!

David Henry Hwang & Julie Taymor Chat M. BUTTERFLY Today at Asia Society Museum
by BWW News Desk - November 3, 2017


Asia Society continues its discussions and events, including David Henry Hwang and Julie Taymor in conversation about M. Butterfly's return to Broadway. Scroll down for details!

Peeking Behind the Curtain of M. BUTTERFLY's Star-Studded History
by A.A. Cristi - November 3, 2017


David Henry Hwang's Tony Award-winning play, M BUTTERFLY, directed by Julie Taymor, opened this week at the Cort Theatre.

TV: Watch Highlights from M. BUTTERFLY on Broadway!
by Nicole Rosky - October 27, 2017


The first Broadway revival of David Henry Hwang's Tony Award -winning play, M. BUTTERFLY, officially opened last night at Broadway's Cort Theatre (138 W 48th Street). Check out highlights below!

TV: Go Inside M. BUTTERFLY's High-Flying Opening Night!
by TV - Opening Night Special - October 27, 2017


David Henry Hwang's Tony Award-winning play, M BUTTERFLY, directed by Julie Taymor, opened just last night at the Cort Theatre (138 West 48th street).

Photo Coverage: On the Opening Night Red Carpet for M. BUTTERFLY!
by Walter McBride - October 27, 2017


David Henry Hwang's Tony Award-winning play, M BUTTERFLY, directed byJulie Taymor, opened just last night at the Cort Theatre (138 West 48th street). We're taking you to the star-studded red carpet below!

Photo Coverage: M. BUTTERFLY Returns! Go Inside the Opening Night Party!
by Walter McBride - October 27, 2017


David Henry Hwang's Tony Award-winning play, M BUTTERFLY, directed byJulie Taymor, opened just last night at the Cort Theatre (138 West 48th street). We're taking you inside the after party below!

Photo Coverage: Clive Owen & M. BUTTERFLY Company Take Opening Night Bows!
by Walter McBride - October 27, 2017


David Henry Hwang's Tony Award-winning play, M BUTTERFLY, directed byJulie Taymor, opened just last night at the Cort Theatre (138 West 48th street). We're taking you inside the Cort for the company's first official bows below!

Review Roundup: Critics Weigh In on the Broadway Revival of M. BUTTERFLY- All the Reviews!
by A.A. Cristi - October 26, 2017


David Henry Hwang's Tony Award-winning play, M BUTTERFLY, directed by Julie Taymor, opens tonight at the Cort Theatre (138 West 48th street).

M. Butterfly History

Other Productions of M. Butterfly

1988   Broadway
Broadway
2017   Broadway Broadway Revival Production
Broadway

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