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M. Butterfly

M. Butterfly. David Henry Hwang. David Henry Hwang. Born to Chinese immigrants on August 11, 1957 Most works have a prominent theme of the role Asian Americans play First Asian American to win the Tony Award for Best Play Wrote M. Butterfly without ever seeing Madama Butterfly.

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M. Butterfly

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  1. M. Butterfly David Henry Hwang

  2. David Henry Hwang • Born to Chinese immigrants on August 11, 1957 • Most works have a prominent theme of the role Asian Americans play • First Asian American to win the Tony Award for Best Play • Wrote M. Butterfly without ever seeing Madama Butterfly

  3. Truth Behind the Play This play is loosely based on the true story of Bernard Bouriscot, a Frenchman performing diplomatic duties in China. Monsieur Bouriscot falls in love with Shi Pei-Pu, who he believes is a Chinese actress. To his dismay, Pei-Pu turns out to be not just a spy, but a man as well.

  4. Two Majors Works Come Together Hwang tied this story into Giacomo Puccini’s Madama Butterfly to create M. Butterfly, the “M.” blurring the lines between “mademoiselle” and “monsieur”. This leaves the reader with a feeling of intrigue as the play continues.

  5. Characters Rene Gallimard – French diplomat living in China who falls in love with Butterfly Song Liling – Chinese actor and spy for the Communist Party; becomes Butterfly

  6. Characters continued Marc – Rene’s friend from school; plays various characters throughout Comrade Chin - Commander of Song in the Party who orders the transformation into Butterfly Helga – Rene’s wife Manuel Toulon – The French ambassador to China

  7. Impact on Society David Henry Hwang broke boundaries when he wrote M. Butterfly. He brought up the issues of interracial relationships, homosexuality, promiscuity, and stereotypes concerning races. By making M. Butterfly as huge a hit as it was, Hwang showed America that no topic could be considered too immoral for Broadway.

  8. Awards • Tony Award for Best Play • Drama Desk Award • John Gassner Award • Outer Critics Circle Award for Best Play • Finalist for the Pulitzer Prize

  9. Recommendation I would only recommend this book for those who are not afraid of the topics discussed. It’s not for those easily offended. However, it is full of humor, sex, and deception. As an added bonus, it’s less than a hundred pages.

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