'Madama Butterfly' to be staged in Turkey's Antalya

Award-winning Turkish soprano Burcu Uyar will take on the leading role of Giacomo Puccini's "Madama Butterfly" this Thursday in the Mediterranean resort city of Antalya.

According to the Antalya State Opera and Ballet, the performance will be directed by Yiğit Gürsoy and will be sung in Italian with Turkish subtitles. The production features an impressive cast accompanied by a live orchestra under the baton of conductor Tulio Gagliardo. The decor was designed by Gürcan Kubilay, while costumes have been created by Gülden Sayıl. The choreographer is Kürşat Kılıç, and the light designer is Mustafa Eski.

In the performance of the classic, accepted as one of the most important operas in the world, Pinkerton will be portrayed by Burak Pektaş, Sharpless by Melih Tepretmez, Suzuki by Medine Tuganova, Goro by Fatih Şanal, Bonzo by Toygarhan Atuner, Yamadori by Şevket Baha İşler, Kate by Emel Öziş, Il Commissario Imperiale by Erdi Can Aybaş and L'Ufficiale Del Reistro by Enis Ok.

"Madama Butterfly" portrays the tragic story of a geisha living in Nagasaki, Japan with her husband. Its composer, Puccini, is known as one of the greatest composers of Italian opera.