© dpa
Weekend Tips: What to Do This Weekend in Berlin
May 1 to 3, 2026: Events, festivals, exhibitions and more things to do for your perfect weekend in Berlin. more
Madama Butterfly
Date details
- Date Friday, 15/January/2027 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
- S9
-
S Savignyplatz
-
Underground
-
Bus
-
Marchstr.
- M45
- 245
-
Bismarckstr./Leibnizstr.
- 101
-
U Ernst-Reuter-Platz
- 245
- M45
- N2
-
Otto-Suhr-Allee/Leibnizstr.
- 101
- M45
-
Berlin, Goethestr.
- 101
-
U Deutsche Oper
- N2
-
Steinplatz
- 245
- M45
- N2
-
Berlin, Schlüterstr.
- M49
- X34
-
Guerickestr.
- 101
-
Warburgzeile
- M45
-
Berlin, Kantstr./Leibnizstr.
- M49
- X34
- 101
-
Marchbrücke
- 245
-
Berlin, Savignyplatz
- M49
- X34
- S7
- S9
-
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), 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
Kolja Kleeberg & Hans-Peter Wodarz PALAZZO
Kolja Kleeberg und Hans-Peter Wodarz PALAZZO – die Dinner Show im Berliner Spiegelpalast am Bahnhof Zoo. PALAZZO kombiniert atemberaubende Akrobatik, herzerwärmende Comedy und mitreißende Live-Musik mit einem exquisiten Vier-Gang-Menü für das kein geringerer... moreabout: Kolja Kleeberg & Hans-Peter Wodarz PALAZZO
- Date:
- Friday, 15/January/2027 18:30 (35 more dates)
- Venue:
- Spiegelpalast Berlin
- Address:
- Hertzallee 41, 10787 Berlin-Tiergarten
- Price:
- from €129.63
© Emmanuel Burriel
Kintsugi by Machine de Cirque
2026 sees one of Canada’s most exciting contemporary circus companies, Machine De Cirque, make their Chamäleon debut with one of their most ambitious works, Kintsugi. moreabout: Kintsugi by Machine de Cirque
- Next date:
- Kintsugi
- Date:
- Friday, 15/January/2027 20:00 (3 more dates)
- Venue:
- Chamäleon Berlin (in den Hackeschen Höfen)
- Address:
- Rosenthaler Straße 40/41, 10178 Berlin-Mitte
- Price:
- from €49.10
© Eventim
Travestie im Kiez - Die Travestieshow in Neukölln, dem trendigen Szenebezirk
Der „Circus der Travestie“ präsentiert BLOCKBUSTERS! – Die Dragshow der Superlative Mach dich bereit für eine Nacht voller Glanz, Glamour und Drama! BLOCKBUSTERS! ist Berlins schillernde Travestieshow, die große Filmklassiker in einem ganz neuen, glitzernden... moreabout: Travestie im Kiez - Die Travestieshow in Neukölln, dem trendigen Szenebezirk
- Next date:
- Travestie im Kiez .... circus of drag queens!
- Date:
- Friday, 15/January/2027 20:30 (47 more dates)
- Venue:
- Theater im Keller
- Address:
- Weserstraße 211, 12047 Berlin-Neukölln
- Price:
- from €54.90
© Quelle: Reservix-System
WOW Varieté Potsdam 2027
Erleben Sie die magische Atmosphäre des WOW Varietés! Vom 08. bis 17. Januar 2027 gastiert das WOW Varieté im Waschhaus Potsdam mit einer neuen, exklusiven Show. Internationale, vielfach ausgezeichnete Künstlerinnen und Künstler entführen Sie in eine... moreabout: WOW Varieté Potsdam 2027
- Date:
- Saturday, 16/January/2027 15:30 (3 more dates)
- Venue:
- Waschhaus Potsdam
- Address:
- Schiffbauergasse 6, 14467 Potsdam
- Price:
- from €26.10
© Quelle: Reservix-System
WOW Varieté Potsdam 2027
Erleben Sie die magische Atmosphäre des WOW Varietés! Vom 08. bis 17. Januar 2027 gastiert das WOW Varieté im Waschhaus Potsdam mit einer neuen, exklusiven Show. Internationale, vielfach ausgezeichnete Künstlerinnen und Künstler entführen Sie in eine... moreabout: WOW Varieté Potsdam 2027
- Date:
- Saturday, 16/January/2027 15:30 (3 more dates)
- Venue:
- Waschhaus Potsdam
- Address:
- Schiffbauergasse 6, 14467 Potsdam
- Price:
- from €29.00
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.