M. Butterfly, the Tony award winner for Best Play written by David Henry Hwang, is set to open on September 13 at the Maybank Performing Arts Theater, BGC Arts Center, Bonifacio Global City.Presented by Tony and Grammy award-winning producer Jhett Tolentino and Frontrow Entertainment (producer of highly-acclaimed independent films Bhoy Intsik and Bwaya), M. Butterfly will be directed by award-winning Kanakan-Balintagos.

This classic masterpiece drama, inspired by Giaccomo Puccini’s opera Madame Butterfly, is loosely based on events surrounding a 1986 espionage trial about a mysterious Chinese opera singer and a French diplomat.

René Gallimard is a member of the French embassy in China. René is mild mannered and considers himself to be poor with women. He meets and falls in love with Chinese opera star Song Liling, a woman whom he considers to be the embodiment of the perfect woman, Madame Butterfly.

RS Francisco reprises his portrayal of Song Liling, the Chinese opera singer who is Gallimard’s object of affection and seduces him through his biases of the East then exploits their intimacy to collect classified information for agents of the Chinese Communist Party.

In May 1990, Francisco essayed this role for Dulaang UP opposite veteran actor, writer and critic Behn Cervantes to critical acclaim and box office success. Extended runs played to full house theater audiences and tours to the key cities in Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao marked this poignant drama’s run in Philippine theater history. In the many years thereafter, Francisco’s theater credits in numerous productions and variety of roles continued to hone his craft as a complete artist.

French actor Olivier Borten essays the role of Rene Gallimard, a former French diplomat, who relates the story of his passionate, disastrous affair with Song Liling from his cell in a Paris prison, where he is serving a long sentence for treason.

The highly-regarded theater actress Pinky Amador, who was seen internationally in Cameron Mackintosh’s Miss Saigon and in a long list of plays, movies and television shows, portrays Gallimard’s wife, Helga. The pair married as a matter of convenience; Helga’s father had diplomatic connections that helped Gallimard ascend in his career.

After 25 years of stage acting experience in the United Kingdom, Scottish Norm Mcleod steps in the Philippine stage as Manuel Toulon, the French ambassador to China who also happens to be the dominant and strong-willed superior of Gallimard at the embassy in Beijing. Toulon promotes Gallimard to vice-consul and charges him with collecting information to aid the American war in Vietnam.

Trilingual American actor Lee O’Brian will personify Marc, the sexually unapologetic best friend of Gallimard. He encourages Gallimard to take sexual advantage of the women around him without regard for their feelings or even their consent. Although this will be the first theater experience for the actor, Lee’s skills have been tried and tested in international films Edsa Woolworth and Forgive Me Father. O’Brian will also briefly portray Sharpless in M. Butterfly.

Playing the role of both Suzuki and Comrade Chin is master of Theater Arts and master of Communication Rebecca Chuaunsu. Two-time Aliw Awards finalist Maya Encila will be adding pizazz to this rendition of M. Butterfly with her unique personification of bombshell Renee, a young, sexually liberated Danish woman with whom Gallimard has an affair.

The artistic team of M. Butterfly includes Eric Pineda (costume design), Ohm David (set design), Jethro Joaquin (sound design) John Batalla (lights) and Gery Penaso (make-up designer for Song Liling)

M. Butterfly shows on September 13 (gala opening night, 8 p.m.), 14 to 16, 21 to 23, and 28 to 30. For tickets, call Ticketworld at 891-9999. Ticket prices are P2,000 (Zone 1); P1,750 (Zone 2); P1,500 (Zone 3); P1,250 (Zone 4); and P1,000 (Zone 5). Check out M. Butterfly at their social media accounts. For further inquiries, contact Isha Germentil at mobile number 0917- 6233834.