‘Madama
Butterfly” is a heartbreaker of an opera. Before its devastating final
scene, the heroine Cio-Cio-San suffers every form of betrayal from those
she loves and trusts.
But
there is one relationship that stays true from beginning to end: the
enduring bond between the wronged geisha and her loyal friend and
servant Suzuki.
Realistically
creating that sisterly connection onstage won’t be very difficult in
the San Diego Opera’s production of the Giacomo Puccini classic, which
opens Saturday. The women playing those roles — Latonia Moore as
Cio-Cio-San and J’nai Bridges as Suzuki — have been friends for years,
deeply admire each other’s work and are so comfortable together they can
practically finish each other’s sentences.
The
American singers both found their musical roots in the black church
singing gospel, they both went to graduate school in Philadelphia, they
both launched their careers singing in prize competitions, and they both
love to let loose singing karaoke (Moore loves ’80s rockers like Pat
Benatar, while Bridges prefers soul singers like Toni Braxton). And this
year, both women are having major career breakthroughs.
Moore,
a soprano, will make her official Metropolitan Opera debut in November
in the title role of “Aida” (she has sung two nights at the Met as a
fill-in for ailing singers, but this will be her true headlining
premiere).
And Bridges, a
mezzo-soprano, has just won prizes in two of the most prestigious vocal
competitions in the world, a Richard Tucker Career Grant and the
Francisco Viñas International Competition in Spain.
The
major difference between the women is that while Bridges is just
launching her professional career, Moore has been an in-demand singer
worldwide for years. She has sung her signature role of Aida nearly 100
times.
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