M. Butterfly: With an Afterword by the Playwright (PDF Download)

[Gwenny Goeree]

M Butterfly by Hwang is a brilliant play by David Henry Hwang. The story, while based largely on that of the famous opera Madame Butterfly, is centered most prominently on the romance between Chinese ambassador Bernard Boursicot and Chinese beauty, Shi Pei Pu. The play was first produced on Broadway in late 1988 and later won the coveted 1988 Academy Award for Best Theatreplay. Directed by Robert Linwood, the cast includes: Jing Yang, Claudia Han, Mike Myers, David Struthers, Christopher Reeve, Edward Herrmann, and John Ritter.

Download Here : M. Butterfly: With an Afterword by the Playwright by Hwang, David Henry (Paperback).pdf

When M Butterfly opens, it's revealed that Boursicott is the director of the prestigious Musume restaurant. He enjoys a close relationship with the Chinese ambassador, Shi Pei Pu (Liang Feng) who strongly disapproves of Boursicott's straying attitude towards the opera. When a drunken Boursicott enters the restaurant, he is immediately drunk and is promptly escorted out. However, he returns the following evening and attempts to seduce the beautiful young daughter of the restaurant's owner (Xu Xian) who happens to be the mother of one of Boursicott's daughters. M Butterfly then follows Boursicott into his home where he continues his mission of seducing the young women and ends up falling in love with them.

The play M Butterfly follows in a similar fashion as that of the classic M Butterfly but focuses more on the story instead. Unlike that of its predecessor, however, the play has far less engaging dialogue and uses longer scenes for its plot development. Linwood does a good job of creating and developing characters, which is especially important considering the subject matter at hand.