Ahn Jae-young (left) and Yoo Tae-yul portray French diplomat 'Rene' and Chinese opera actor 'Song' in musical 'M. Butterfly'. /Yeokyeokjeon
Korean creative team's world premiere adaptation delves into desire, illusion through song and dance
The fascination that changes a life strikes like lightning. But is this love directed at the person, or an illusion created within oneself?
In the 1960s, during the height of the Cold War, René Gallimar, a French consulate employee in Beijing, falls for Song Liling, a mysterious Peking opera actress who plays the lead in the opera *Madama Butterfly*. What he thought was a secret, perfect love… the hidden horrific truth eventually surfaces. This is *M. Butterfly*, famous for its shocking twist ending.
After over 40 years of global acclaim, *M. Butterfly* has been reborn as a musical by a Korean creative team and premiered on September 22 at the YES24 Stage in Seoul’s Daehakro. While playwright David Henry Hwang, 71, a Chinese-American Columbia University distinguished professor, previously adapted his play into an opera, this musical adaptation is the world’s first attempt 38 years after the original play. We met playwright Jeong Eun-bi, who wrote the musical’s script and lyrics, and director Kim Min-jung.