Live Opera on Bay Street

Live opera, a rarity on the East End, returns to Sag Harbor’s Bay Street Theater Saturday night at 8 p.m. with a multidisciplinary adaptation of Puccini’s “Madame Butterfly” by Divaria Productions.

Divaria is no stranger to Bay Street, having presented adaptations of classic operas there since 2015. Its mission is simple: to make opera accessible – and it achieves this in part by incorporating other media.

Ashley Bell, who sings the title role of Cio-Cio San, the Japanese geisha known as Madame Butterfly, said during a phone conversation, “Since we don’t have subtitles while we play the music in traditional Italian, we like to incorporate other art forms.” like incorporating acting and dance into our work.

In Divaria’s “Madame Butterfly” Sharpless, the US consul in Nagasaki, is sung by Michael Nansel. However, the production also stars a second Sharpless (Michael Rudko), who recounts and provides historical context for the interactions between America and Japan at the turn of the 20th century.

Additionally, at Ms. Bell’s request, the Japanese Folk Dance Institute of New York choreographed a piece to be performed by Yumiko Niimi, an alter ego of Cio-Cio San. The dance represents the geisha’s dream of how her life could have been better.

Although the production does not feature a choir for the entire opera, the Suffolk Symphonic Choir will perform the Humming Chorus, a famous tune sung as Cio-Cio San keeps a silent vigil as she awaits the return of Pinkerton, her lover. Marine Lieutenant waits.

The story is a tragedy about the geisha who Pinkerton marries, only to be abandoned upon his return to America. It was fundamentally “a collision of two very different cultures,” Ms. Bell said. “Although the story is set in Japan, I think it deals with many issues that we still deal with today. It’s basically a misunderstanding between people from different cultural backgrounds.”

The production features a cast of acclaimed artists including Richard Bernstein (The Bonze), who has appeared in over 500 performances at the Metropolitan Opera; Errin Brooks (Pinkerton) and John Easterlin (Goro), both Met veterans and Grammy Award winners, and Anna Tonna (Suzuki), who sang Rosina, Carmen and Dorabella.

Ms. Bell has performed as a soloist in the United States, Italy, Spain, France and Russia and recently sang with the ABAO Bilbao Opera, La Maestranza in Seville and the Teatro Breton in Logroño, Spain. Mr. Nansel’s recent operas have included “Macbeth,” “Otello,” “The Barber of Seville” and “Carmen.”

The cast also includes local performers, including Olivia Fromm, 7, a full-time Sag Harbor resident who plays Cio-Cio San’s daughter, and Amanda Pennfield, a Westhampton High School graduate who plays Kate Pinkerton, the American wife of Actor, naval officer sings.

Ms. Bell first sang the role of Cio-Cio San in 2017 and has since done so in five different states. “It’s definitely a challenging role,” she said. “Even though the character is from a different culture, I feel like I identify with her because she is a person of strong faith and conviction and I am a person of faith myself.”

Regarding Bay Street as a live opera venue, the production’s director JA Diaz said, “I really love working at Bay Street because the audience and the technical people who work there are wonderful.”

Tickets range from $25 to $50.