Madama Butterfly Tickets

Madama Butterfly in New York

Rediscover one of the most famous tales of love and betrayal as Madama Butterfly returns to the Metropolitan Opera House, just a short walk from Central Park. Anthony Minghella’s revival of Puccini’s masterpiece is a feast for the senses, with cinematic imagery meeting a sweeping score. With one of the most enduring stories and lead female figures in opera, this is an unmissable, pioneering production - secure your tickets today. 

What is Madama Butterfly about?

Madama Butterfly, often fashioned in English as Madam Butterfly, is the tragic story of a young Japanese girl named Cio Cio San, who falls in unrequited love with a U.S. naval officer, Pinkerton. The pair marry and she believes it will be a permanent, loving arrangement - but he leaves whilst she is pregnant and she must wait for his return. 

Written by Giacomo Puccini, with an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa, the opera Madama Butterfly is based on John Luther Long’s 1898 short story "Madame Butterfly". It has been performed across the globe and inspired shows including Schönberg and Boublil's musical Miss Saigon. With its far-reaching themes of sexual and cultural imperialism, betrayal and unrequited love, it is one of the most famous tales not just in opera, but in art and literature as a whole.

The Cast of Madama Butterfly

Sopranos Ailyn Pérez, Sonya Yoncheva and Elena Stikhina all make their Met role debut sharing the role of Cio-Cio-San, one of the most iconic and devastating in the entire operatic canon. Tenors Matthew Polenzani, SeokJong Baek and Adam Smith, making his Met debut, co-star as Pinkerton; mezzo-sopranos Hyona Kim and Jennifer Johnson Cano share the role of Suzuki, and baritone Andrzej Filończyk and Quinn Lesley perform as the American consul Sharpless.

The Creative team of Madama Butterfly 

BAFTA and Academy Award winner Anthony Minghella’s (Truly Madly Deeply; The English Patient) staging of Puccini’s devastating opera is conducted by Marco Armiliato (I Puritani, La Bohème) and Carlo Rizzi (La Bohème, Turandot). 

This was the late Minghella’s operatic directorial debut, opening with the English National Opera in 2006. He won the Olivier Award for Best New Opera Production, and his vision for the story remains hugely influential almost twenty years later. Amongst its many striking features, Minghella’s interpretation stands out for drawing inspiration from traditional Japanese theater with stagecraft, bold and vibrant colors, and traditional bunraku puppetry.

Book Tickets for Madama Butterfly at the Met Opera

This stunning staging of one of the greatest operas of all time is a modern classic, and one that inspires awe and heartbreak no matter how many times you see it. Don’t miss the return of Anthony Minghella’s “inspired vision” (The New York Times) as this landmark Madama Butterfly returns to New York for a strictly limited run. Book tickets for Madama Butterfly at the Metropolitan Opera House today.