The Woman He Loved for 20 Years Was a Male Spy... "M. Butterfly" Reborn as a Musical

Set During China’s Cultural Revolution,
True Story of a French Diplomat
David Henry Hwang’s Tony Award-winning Masterpiece

Based on the shocking true story of a French diplomat stationed in China, who fell in love over nearly 20 years with a woman who was, in fact, a male Peking opera actor and Chinese spy, the play "M. Butterfly" is being reborn as a musical.

Theater production company Theater Yeoljeon announced that the musical "M. Butterfly" will be staged at Yes24 Stage Hall 1 in Daehak-ro, Seoul, from September 22 to December 13.

"M. Butterfly" is the representative work of Chinese American playwright David Henry Hwang, sharply exploring the intersections of love, power, desire, and illusion. It premiered in Washington, D.C. in 1988, and later the same year entered Broadway’s Eugene O’Neill Theatre in New York, running for 777 performances until January 1990. The production won the 1988 Tony Award for Best Play and the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding New Play, and was also a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in the following year. In 1993, it was adapted into a film directed by David Cronenberg and starring Jeremy Irons and John Lone.

Photos from the 2024 performance of the play 'M. Butterfly'. Theater Yeoljeon

Theater Yeoljeon first introduced "M. Butterfly" to Korean audiences as a stage play in 2012. Through five stagings up until 2024, the production has become one of the company’s signature repertoires.

"M. Butterfly" centers on the nearly 20-year relationship between French diplomat Rene Gallimard and Song Liling, a male Peking opera actor who performs female roles and works as a spy for China.

The play recreates the relationship of Pinkerton and Cio-Cio-san, the main characters of the opera "Madame Butterfly" by Italian composer Giacomo Puccini, in a play-within-a-play format. In the opera, Japanese geisha Cio-Cio-san marries American naval officer Pinkerton and bears his child, only to be abandoned when he returns with his American wife.

In "M. Butterfly," Pinkerton represents another aspect of Rene’s own identity—a vessel for his Western desires, sense of superiority, and fantasies about love. Gallimard projects himself onto the Western male figure of Pinkerton, while viewing Song through the lens of the submissive and devoted Eastern woman, Cio-Cio-san.

The musical adaptation by Theater Yeoljeon brings the opera "Madame Butterfly" to the forefront as a play-within-a-play. The opera serves as a symbolic framework reflecting the relationship between Rene and Song, functioning as a dramatic device that helps the audience understand their actions and choices. The dynamic between Rene and Song inverts the structure of the opera, making the production’s central themes even clearer.

Kim Minjung, known for directing musicals "The Tale of April Fools" and plays such as "Silent Sky," will direct the newly reimagined musical "M. Butterfly." Jung Eunbi, playwright of musicals "Wiedershtand" and "The Red Garden," is providing both script and lyrics. Composer Namgoong Yujin, whose works include "Williams and the Williams’ Williamses" and "Artis," will be in charge of the music.

The role of Rene Gallimard, the French diplomat increasingly consumed by the fantasy he has created, will be played by Joo Minjin, An Jaeyoung, and Yoo Hyunseok. The role of Song Liling, the Peking opera performer and object of Rene’s perfect love but harboring a secret, will be portrayed by Kim Bada, Yoo Taeyul, and Hong Gibum. Playing Toulon, Rene’s boss who openly expresses Western prejudice and a sense of superiority, are Hwang Manik and Kim Seungyong. The newly expanded role of Pinkerton will be performed by Jang Jaewoong and Nam Minwoo. An Sang-eun and Jeon Hayoung—the latter having won the Best Newcomer Award at the 9th Korea Musical Awards—will take on dual roles as Rene’s wife Agnes and as Qin, a member of the Chinese Communist Party.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.