M. Butterfly by David Henry Hwang

M. Butterfly by David Henry Hwang

Bored with his routine posting in Beijing, and awkward with women, René Gallimard, a French diplomat, is easy prey for the subtle, delicate charms of Song Liling, a Chinese opera star who personifies Gallimard's fantasy vision of submissive, exotic oriental sexuality. He begins an affair with "her" that lasts for 20 years, during which time he passes along diplomatic secrets - an act that brings about his downfall and imprisonment. Interspersed with scenes between the two lovers are others with Gallimard's wife and colleagues that underscore the irony of Gallimard's delusion and its curious parallel to the events of Puccini's famous opera Madame Butterfly.Combining realism and ritual with vivid theatricality, the play reaches its astonishing climax when Song Liling, before our very eyes, strips off his female attire and assumes his true masculinity, a revelation that the deluded Gallimard can neither credit nor accept.

M. David Henry Hwang is the Tony Award-winning author of M. David Henry Hwang's M. David Henry Hwang's M. David Henry Hwang' Butterfly, Yellow Face (OBIE Award, 2008 Pulitzer Prize finalist), Golden Child (1997 OBIE Award), FOB (1981 OBIE Award), Family Devotions (Drama Desk nomination), and the musical books Aida (co-author), Flower Drum Song (2002 Broadway revival), and Tarzan, among others. David Henry Hwang holds honorary degrees from Columbia College in Chicago and The American Conservatory Theatre. He graduated from Stanford University and attended the Yale School of Drama. He and his wife, actress Kathryn Layng, and their children, Noah David and Eva Veanne, live in New York City.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9780822207122
ISBN 10	0822207125
Title	M. Butterfly
Author	David Henry Hwang
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Paperback
Publisher	Josef Weinberger Plays
Year published	2002-03-22
Number of pages	93
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.