Guthrie Theater

From his prison cell, former French diplomat Rene Gallimard recalls the story of how he came to be loved by Song Liling, a performer in the Peking opera. Assigned to Beijing in the 1960s, Gallimard encounters Song in a performance of Madame Butterfly. Dazzled by her beauty, he believes he has found "the perfect woman," and uses his Western influence to ensnare this exotic butterfly. Their relationship develops into a passionate love affair that lasts more than two decades, yet when Song's identity is revealed - as a man and a spy for the Chinese government - Gallimard discovers far more than the submissive leading lady he wanted, and his personal and political realities dissolve before his eyes.

M. Butterfly marks the first Guthrie staging of Hwang's work and stars Randy Reyes (A Midsummer Night's Dream, The Two Gentlemen of Verona) and Andrew Long (Gross Indecency).

This production contains nudity and smoking.

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