© Jana Legler / Interfilm
Weekend Tips: What to Do This Weekend in Berlin
November 13 to 15, 2026: Events, festivals, exhibitions and more things to do for your perfect weekend in Berlin. more
Madama Butterfly
Date details
- Date Saturday, 02/January/2027 19:30 ( 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
- S9
-
S Savignyplatz
-
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.
- M49
- X34
-
Guerickestr.
- 101
-
Warburgzeile
- M45
-
Berlin, Kantstr./Leibnizstr.
- M49
- X34
- 101
-
Marchbrücke
- 245
-
Berlin, Savignyplatz
- 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), Tomoya Kawamura (Bewegungsregie), 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), Jaewon Kwak (Kaiserlicher Kommissar), Simon Wallfisch (Onkel Yakusidé), Philipp Schreyer (Standesbeamter), Matthias Spenke (Standesbeamter), SaeEum Jang (Cio-Cio-Sans Mutter), Paula Rummel (Tante), Sabine Hill (Tante), Lea Maria Koch (Cousine), Kyriaki Sirlantzi (Cousine), Aya Yasuda (Darsteller), Jun Azuma (Darsteller), Atsushi Takahashi (Darsteller), Natsuki Katori (Darsteller), Megumi Eda (Darsteller), Tomoya Kawamura (Darsteller), Shintaro Oue (Darsteller), Chorsolisten der Komischen Oper Berlin (Chor)
Koproduktion mit dem Festival d’Aix-en-Provence, der Opéra National de Lyon und den Théâtres de la Ville de Luxembourg
Alternative events
© Eventim
Christmas Zauber mit Lion Badree
Weihnachten in Berlin. Zeit für etwas Unerwartetes. Vor oder nach dem Weihnachtsmarkt – öffnen Sie die Tür zu einer anderen Welt. Mitten im historischen Nikolaiviertel lädt Lion Badree Sie zu einem besonderen Weihnachtserlebnis ein. Gedanken lesen.... moreabout: Christmas Zauber mit Lion Badree
- Date:
- Saturday, 02/January/2027 18:00 (2 more dates)
- Venue:
- Ordinary Magic
- Address:
- Poststraße 25, 10178 Berlin-Mitte
- Price:
- from €51.66
© Eventim
Frankfurter Weihnachtscircus - Weihnachten um die Welt
- Next date:
- Frankfurter Weihnachtscircus
- Date:
- Saturday, 02/January/2027 18:30 (1 more date)
- Venue:
- Frankfurter Weihnachtscircus
- Address:
- Heinrich-Hildebrand-Straße, 15232 Frankfurt (Oder)
- Price:
- from €25.96
©Raisa Kanareva - stock.adobe.com
Helga Hahnemann - Winterzauber
- Date:
- Saturday, 02/January/2027 18:30 (1 more date)
- Venue:
- Theater an der Spree
- Address:
- Wilhelminenhofstraße 89, 12459 Berlin-Köpenick
- Price:
- from €46.80
© Quelle: Reservix-System
Neujahrskonzert 2027 - Frank Sinatra Reloaded
Wir begrüßen das neue Jahr 2027 mit Swing, Stil und jeder Menge Groove! Sänger Michael Kuczyski ( Uckermärkische Bühnen Schwedt/ UBS) und seine exzellent besetzte Band bringen mit dem Programm „Sinatra Reloaded“ die großen Klassiker Frank Sinatras in... moreabout: Neujahrskonzert 2027 - Frank Sinatra Reloaded
- Date:
- Saturday, 02/January/2027 19:00 (1 more date)
- Venue:
- Hof-Theater Bad Freienwalde
- Address:
- Königstraße 11, 16259 Bad Freienwalde (Oder)
- Price:
- from €38.00
© Eventim
Sinatra Night Berlin - Hotel Palace Berlin
- Next date:
- Sinatra Night Berlin
- Date:
- Saturday, 02/January/2027 19:30 (10 more dates)
- Venue:
- Hotel Palace
- Address:
- Budapester Straße 45, 10787 Berlin-Charlottenburg
- Price:
- from €157.00
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.