© dpa
Weekend Tips: What to Do This Weekend in Berlin
September 4 to 6, 2026: Events, festivals, exhibitions and more things to do for your perfect weekend in Berlin. more
Madama Butterfly
Date details
- Date Thursday, 10/December/2026 19:00 ( 8 more dates )
- Venue Komische Oper Berlin: Schillertheater - Großer Saal
- Address Bismarckstraße 110, 10625 Berlin-Charlottenburg
Public transportation
-
Train (S-Bahn)
-
S Savignyplatz
- S3
- S5
- S7
- S75
- S9
-
S Savignyplatz
-
Underground
-
U Ernst-Reuter-Platz
- U12
- U2
-
U Deutsche Oper
- U12
- U2
-
U Ernst-Reuter-Platz
-
Bus
-
Marchstr.
- M45
- 245
-
Bismarckstr./Leibnizstr.
- 101
-
U Ernst-Reuter-Platz
- 245
- M45
- N2
- U2
-
Otto-Suhr-Allee/Leibnizstr.
- 101
- M45
-
Berlin, Goethestr.
- 101
-
U Deutsche Oper
- N2
- U2
-
Steinplatz
- 245
- M45
- N2
-
Berlin, Schlüterstr.
- 101
- 109
- 110
- M19
- M29
- M49
- X34
-
Guerickestr.
- 101
-
Warburgzeile
- M45
-
Berlin, Kantstr./Leibnizstr.
- 101
- 109
- 110
- M19
- M29
- M49
- X34
-
Marchbrücke
- 245
-
Berlin, Savignyplatz
- 109
- 110
- M19
- M29
- M49
- X34
-
Dovebrücke
- 245
-
Marchstr.
Part of:
Madama Butterfly
– Jan Windszus Photography
© Jan Windszus Photography
Andrea Breth’s gorgeous production of Madama Butterfly, following its runs in Aix-en-Provence and Lyon, now comes to the Komische Oper Berlin – and is sure to move audiences to tears. There’s good reason why Puccini described his masterpiece as ‘the most heartfelt opera I have ever written’.
The young geisha Cio-Cio-San, or ‘Butterfly’, marries the American naval officer Pinkerton: for him it’s just an ‘exotic’ fling, but for her the marriage means everything – an escape from poverty, a bright future, and a new life as a mother. The heartless Pinkerton soon leaves Japan to find a ‘real’ wife back home, while Butterfly – oblivious to his betrayal – waits with their child for his return. Three years later, Pinkerton finally reappears, but with his new wife – and after all this, he now wants to take away Butterfly’s child too. When she finally realizes the truth, she sees only one way out: death.Puccini’s renowned opera telling the tragic tale of a hopeful Japanese woman and her decadent American husband has lost none of its power, even today. He confronted the colonial arrogance of the West with a forthrightness that was quite unusual for the early twentieth century. While Pinkerton embodies what may be Puccini’s least sympathetic tenor role, his titular heroine undergoes perhaps the greatest transformation of all his operatic characters: from geisha to virtuous wife, to single mother, and finally to one who chooses suicide.
Surprisingly for such a master of psychological realism, Andrea Breth brings a more painterly aesthetic to this production. With the atmospheric use of kimonos, cherry blossoms, and cranes, as well as Breth’s restrained direction, the focus remains squarely on what matters most: the characters.
The young geisha Cio-Cio-San, or ‘Butterfly’, marries the American naval officer Pinkerton: for him it’s just an ‘exotic’ fling, but for her the marriage means everything – an escape from poverty, a bright future, and a new life as a mother. The heartless Pinkerton soon leaves Japan to find a ‘real’ wife back home, while Butterfly – oblivious to his betrayal – waits with their child for his return. Three years later, Pinkerton finally reappears, but with his new wife – and after all this, he now wants to take away Butterfly’s child too. When she finally realizes the truth, she sees only one way out: death.Puccini’s renowned opera telling the tragic tale of a hopeful Japanese woman and her decadent American husband has lost none of its power, even today. He confronted the colonial arrogance of the West with a forthrightness that was quite unusual for the early twentieth century. While Pinkerton embodies what may be Puccini’s least sympathetic tenor role, his titular heroine undergoes perhaps the greatest transformation of all his operatic characters: from geisha to virtuous wife, to single mother, and finally to one who chooses suicide.
Surprisingly for such a master of psychological realism, Andrea Breth brings a more painterly aesthetic to this production. With the atmospheric use of kimonos, cherry blossoms, and cranes, as well as Breth’s restrained direction, the focus remains squarely on what matters most: the characters.
Artists/Collaborators: Klaus Bertisch (Dramaturgie), Andrea Breth (Inszenierung), David Cavelius (Chöre), Alexander Koppelmann (Licht), Marcin Lakomicki (Szenische Einstudierung), Yi-Chen Lin (Musikalische Leitung), Ursula Renzenbrink (Kostüme), Raimund Orfeo Voigt (Bühnenbild), Gloria Jieun Choi (Cio-Cio-San), Susan Zarrabi (Suzuki), Karolina Gumos (Suzuki), Naomi Steele (Kate Pinkerton), Mihails Culpajevs (Pinkerton), Günter Papendell (Sharpless), Johannes Dunz (Goro), Ivan Turšić (Fürst Yamadori), Dimitry Ivashchenko (Onkel Bonze), Artyom Wasnetsow (Onkel Bonze), Aya Yasuda (Darsteller), Jun Azuma (Darsteller), Natsuki Katori (Darsteller), Megumi Eda (Darsteller), Tomoya Kawamura (Darsteller), Tomoya Kawamura (Bewegungscoach), Chorsolisten der Komischen Oper Berlin (Chor), Komparserie (Komparserie)
Koproduktion mit dem Festival d’Aix-en-Provence, der Opéra National de Lyon und den Théâtres de la Ville de Luxembourg
Alternative events
© Eventim
Comedy-Dinner
"Stille Nacht, Heilige Nacht, wenn die Krippe zusammenkracht!" Ein heiter besinnliches Weihnachtsprogramm mit Yvonne Arendt & Peter Anders. Am Heiligabend wartet Josef, zwangsbeurlaubter Akademiker, als Weihnachtsmann vor dem Stadtimbiss auf Maria... moreabout: Comedy-Dinner
- Date:
- Thursday, 10/December/2026 18:00 (1 more date)
- Venue:
- Sonnenhof 1864
- Address:
- Dorfplatz 13, 01968 Senftenberg
- Price:
- from €93.66
© Live Nation
Cirque du Soleil: Alizé
With “Alizé,” Cirque du Soleil presents its first permanent European show, bringing together two worlds that previously existed separately: world-class acrobatics and magic. moreabout: Cirque du Soleil: Alizé
- Next date:
- Open Bar Upgrade - Cirque du Soleil ALIZÉ - Eine Reise in das Unsichtbare
- Date:
- Thursday, 10/December/2026 18:30 (42 more dates)
- Venue:
- Theater am Potsdamer Platz
- Address:
- Marlene-Dietrich-Platz 1, 10785 Berlin-Tiergarten
- Price:
- from €25.90
© Eventim
Kolja Kleeberg & Hans-Peter Wodarz Palazzo
Kolja Kleeberg und Hans-Peter Wodarz Palazzo – die Dinner Show im Berliner Spiegelpalast am Bahnhof Zoo. moreabout: Kolja Kleeberg & Hans-Peter Wodarz Palazzo
- Next date:
- Kolja Kleeberg & Hans-Peter Wodarz PALAZZO
- Date:
- Thursday, 10/December/2026 18:30 (58 more dates)
- Venue:
- Spiegelpalast Berlin
- Address:
- Hertzallee 41, 10787 Berlin-Tiergarten
- Price:
- from €129.63
© Eventim
Das Kriminal Dinner - Der letzte Joint der Marie Juana
Verzwickte Kriminalfälle und kulinarischer Genuss beim Kriminal Dinner Sie suchen nach einem außergewöhnlichen Abend, bei dem Sie den Alltag hinter sich lassen können? Das Kriminal Dinner bietet Ihnen die perfekte Kombination aus spannenden Kriminalfällen... moreabout: Das Kriminal Dinner - Der letzte Joint der Marie Juana
- Next date:
- Das Kriminal Dinner - Krimidinner: Der letzte Joint der Marie Juana
- Date:
- Thursday, 10/December/2026 19:00 (4 more dates)
- Venue:
- Gastronomie "Zur Historischen Mühle" Potsdam
- Address:
- Zur Historischen Mühle 2, 14469 Potsdam
- Price:
- from €92.90
© Nady El-Tounsy
Blinded by Delight: Grand Show at Friedrichstadt-Palast
Dreams come true in the capital: the Friedrichstadt-Palast will be presenting the Grand Show “Blinded by Delight” on the world's largest theater stage. moreabout: Blinded by Delight: Grand Show at Friedrichstadt-Palast
- Next date:
- Friedrichstadt-Palast: BLINDED by DELIGHT - Grand Show
- Date:
- Thursday, 10/December/2026 19:30 (21 more dates)
- Venue:
- Friedrichstadt-Palast
- Address:
- Friedrichstraße 107, 10117 Berlin-Mitte
- Price:
- from €64.44
The help page for the event calendar answers common questions.. Information about coperations and imprint can be found on our page about partners and terms and conditions.