Written by: David Henry Hwang
At: Apple Tree Theatre, 595 Elm Place, Highland Park
Tickets: $32
Phone: 847-432-4335
Runs through: May 20
by Rick Reed
In the realm of "truth is stranger than fiction" comes the incredible, indelible tale of M. Butterfly. The story behind the play concerns diplomat Bernard Bouriscot who fell in love with, and had a years-long intimate relationship with, a Chinese "actress" ( who was, in reality, a man ) , revealing to his love top-secret government information and ensnaring himself in a web of treason. Playwright Hwang took this story and transformed it into the meditation on eastern/ western relations, cock-eyed love story, and the meshing of love, innocence, and deceit that is now known as M. Butterfly. The play has won a Tony award and been made into a 1994 film, with Jeremy Irons as Rene Gallimard, perhaps the most gullible suitor who ever lived.
And now Apple Tree Theater and director Peter Amster brings the work to the Chicago area, in a modest, yet adept, revival. In spite of its allusions to Puccini's Madame Butterfly and its fascination with eastern culture and the mystery at its core, the play itself is unsatisfying because its premise is so incredible. Never mind that it's based on the truth ( yes, the affair really happened ... but the fact that this diplomat had sexual relations for years with another man and didn't realize his lover was a chick with a dick is a little, if you'll pardon the pun, hard to swallow; and the fact that this diplomat freely gave detailed classified information to his Asian sweetheart under the guise of pillow talk is even more difficult to buy ) , M. Butterfly doesn't work for me because I can't suspend my disbelief enough to dwell, even for a couple of hours, in the world that the playwright has created.
Obviously, though, problems with credibility didn't bother the scores of critics, award givers, and admirers the play has built up since its Washington, D.C. premiere in 1988. For the sake of argument, then, let's consider the production currently on stage in Highland Park. The positive things M. Butterfly has going for it are its set, which is almost fluid in its use of moving platforms and screens, with the color red playing a starring role in Tim Morrison's scenic design. Red is symbolic, I suppose, of passion, and the color is also infused in eastern art. Sound and music by Ray Nardelli add the appropriate aural cues and add to the atmosphere of intrigue and betrayal. And Jack Kirby's sumptuous costume design is a pleasure to behold.
What doesn't work are the performances of the two principle players: Dev Kennedy as the confused diplomat, Gallimard, and E.Y. Shin, as Song Liling, our "girl with something extra." Although both seem to be capable thespians, they somehow missed the mark on creating a spark between these two lost souls. The story itself, as I said above, is far from plausible. In order for it to work, we have to see a love that transcends boundaries ... an all-consuming passion that would, at the very least, have allowed us to understand why, perhaps, Gallimard lied to himself. But Kennedy and Liling just seem to go through the motions and we never witness the motivation behind this love affair and betrayal. And without the passion, what we have is an exercise in tedium; a staged story that gives me no reason to believe.