Madama Butterfly On Sydney Harbour: Interview With Two Stars

The iconic Madama Butterfly on Sydney Harbour opens on 24^th March, running through to 23^rd April. The spectacular outdoor production by Handa Opera first premiered in 2014, and included conductor Brian Castles-Onion AM and Principal Baritone Michael Honeyman, who both return for this latest series. We spoke to both stars about Puccini’s well-loved opera, and their notable career moments.

Brian Castles-Onion AM

Born in Cessnock, Brian Castles-Onion is one of Australia’s most exciting and well-known opera conductors. Completing his tertiary studies at the Newcastle Conservatorium of Music, his outstanding achievements speak for themselves.

His career expands internationally having worked at New York’s Metropolitan Opera and the Julliard School of Music. He has worked at the Rossini Festival in Italy, held the position of Artistic Director of Canterbury Opera in New Zealand and currently continues his long run association with Opera Australia.

His conducting experience – well over five hundred opera performances alone – throughout Australia, Asia and New Zealand includes: La bohème (Puccini) Faust (Gounod), La Traviata, (Verdi), Les pêcheurs de perles (Bizet), Il barbiere di Siviglia (Rossini), Don Giovanni (Mozart), Lucia di Lammermoor (Donizetti), Così fan tutte (Mozart), Lucio Silla (Mozart), Rinaldo (Handel), Les contes d’Hoffmann (Offenbach), The Telephone (Menotti), Turandot (Puccini), Norma (Bellini), The Merry Widow (Lehar), Lakmé (Delibes), A Little Night Music (Sondheim), La forza del destino (Verdi), Manon (Massenet), The Mikado (Sullivan), Tosca (Puccini), Carmen (Bizet), Samson et Dalila (Saint-Saens), La sonnambula (Bellini), Rigoletto (Verdi), Die Fledermaus (J. Strauss), To Hell & Back (Heggie), Prima la musica (Salieri), Iolanthe (Sullivan), The Pirates of Penzance (Sullivan), The Gondoliers (Sullivan), H.M.S. Pinafore (Sullivan), Trial by Jury (Sullivan) and My Fair Lady (Loewe).

He was on the podium for Opera Australia’s 40th Anniversary Gala and 60th Anniversary Gala, The Robert Allman Farewell Gala and conducted the Dame Joan Sutherland State Memorial Service – which was broadcast internationally on television and radio.

Well known as a Public Speaker and compère, he has made guest appearances at Corporate Dinners, various Opera Forums and presented over two dozen ‘Opera in the Park’ in Perth, Sydney and the Hunter Valley – amassing a large following of fans. His book “Losing the Plot in Opera” has been a Best Seller in Australia and the UK.

His recital and concert appearances have seen him as conductor and pianist for Kiri Te Kanawa, Sumi Jo, Frederica von Stade, Placido Domingo, José Carreras and Geraldine Turner. His recordings include The Mikado and La traviata for ABC Classics, The Stephen Sondheim Songbook, When We Met, Amoureuse, The Power of Love, Puccini Passion, Geraldine Turner – The Stephen Sondheim Songbook Volume Two, The Enchanted Hour, the soundtrack to the American film Harlem Aria, the complete series on DVD of Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour and produced ten volumes in the new series on Désirée Records – “Great Australian Voices”.

Recent engagements include La bohème, The Mikado, Tosca, Carmen, Don Pasquale and La traviatafor Opera Australia; seven consecutive seasons of Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour (La traviata, Carmen – twice, Madama Butterfly, Aida & Turandot), Tosca, Rigoletto and Don Giovanni for West Australian Opera and concerts with Kiri Te Kanawa, the 3 Chinese Tenors, Sumi Jo, Christmas at the Opera House, Opera in the Vineyards and the last six New Year’s Eve Galas at the Sydney Opera House. 2017 saw him conducting Gianni Schicchi (Puccini) and La Vida Breve (da Falla) for South Opera South Australia, Carmen (Bizet) for Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour, Carmen (Bizet) for Opera Australia in Melbourne and Madama Butterfly (Puccini) at the Capitol Theatre in Sydney – and in 2018, the New Year’s Eve Gala at the Sydney Opera House, La bohème on Sydney Harbour, Heggie’s To Hell and Back along with L’elisir d’amore in Melbourne. In 2019 he conducted Sydney Festival’s “Opera in the Domain”, several concerts and Madama Butterfly for Opera Australia at the Sydney Opera House. Brian became a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in the 2017 Australia Day Honours List.

Hello Mr Castles-Onion AM, thank you for talking with us at TheatreArtLife! How are you doing, and how are the preparations coming along for opening night of Madama Butterfly on Sydney Harbour?

Hello there! We had a little over three weeks rehearsing at a venue at Olympic Park for this production of Puccini’s Madama Butterfly before arriving at Mrs Macquaries Chair for the actual stage rehearsals last week. It’s been a good experience for all – both casts, the creative team and, now, the 75-piece orchestra – and we’re buzzing to present it to our audiences from Friday night.

The score is a masterpiece, the production is the most beautiful I’ve seen and our singers (Principals and Chorus), actors and orchestra are in magnificent form.

I understand that you’re very familiar with the Handa Opera productions and this will be your ninth? What do you enjoy about playing on Sydney Harbour compared to performing in a traditional Opera House environment, and what have been your most memorable moments conducting the Handa Opera concerts?

Yes, I’ve conducted every performance of an opera in the Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour series. I’ve been very fortunate to have been entrusted with the job of leading the whole show musically every night. Performing in an Opera House indoors as compared to a massive outdoor stage requires different management tools from the podium. In a standard theatre, the orchestra and I are in front of the singers – so there’s direct contact.

When I conduct the Harbour productions, there’s a camera focussed on me and that vision is broadcast on a screen behind where the audience sit. The singers see me that way. Of course, because of technology, there’s a slight delay in what they see. Every singer has earpieces which feed the orchestral sound direct to them so there’s little rarely a problem being in sync.

I’ve always believed that the rehearsal process is about gaining trust between me and the singers and, even in a ‘normal’ theatre situation, the singers rarely need to look at me directly. We trust each other.

You will be celebrating conducting your 100^th performance of Madama Butterfly during this season and I’m interested if this opera holds sentimental meaning for you? How does it feel looking back on your first performance and your journey to performance number 100?

It’s amazing (and fairly rare) that any opera conductor can boast a hundredth performance of any work. For singers, it’s different. They can do 500 performances of a role – but it’s rarely a leading role.

Before my first Madama Butterfly as conductor, I had played literally hundreds of rehearsals under other conductors and absorbed their musical thoughts and ideas. So, my Madama Butterfly debut was a uniting of what I had experienced over many years. It was the same with my Carmen, La Bohème, Tosca, La Traviata, Aida, Turandot, Die Fledermaus and Merry Widow debuts.

Looking back, I feel that I’m now telling MY Madama Butterfly through the score rather than borrowing ideas and glimpses of moments from other conductors.

As a full-time member of OA’s music staff, you have now conducted more opera performances for the company than any other conductor. After working around the world, what has drawn you to remain so close with Opera Australia, and what do you enjoy most working with OA?

Opera Australia is my home. It’s the National Company. I have devoted my career to them, and they’ve reciprocated by giving me great opportunities in various areas of the company.

I joined the Music Staff in my late teens and have since remained with the company. They’ve permitted me to go off contract for short and extended periods to expand my craft and experience. For six years I was Artistic Director of Canterbury Opera in New Zealand but remained here, overseeing that company’s life in short visits whilst continuing playing rehearsals and conducting here.

Once, I finished a season of Turandot in New Zealand, flew back and, the next day, took over a season of Gilbert & Sullivan’s Iolanthe for Opera Australia at the Sydney Opera House – having never seen the production.

Very early on in my conducting life, I was offered a contract for Giordano’s Andrea Chénier in Cape Town, South Africa, but I’d been asked to conduct a handful of performance of Massenet’s Manon here. Staying and working for the National Company was the right decision. The company continues to give me time away to ‘grow’.

Most recently, I debuted with the Armenian National Philharmonic Orchestra in Yerevan, Armenia, with the fabulous soprano Hibla Gerzmava. The day I arrived back in Australia, I was playing rehearsals for another conductor here in Sydney.

Maestro one day, rehearsal pianist the next. That’s the way our industry works and I’m lucky to be continuously employed on a weekly salary.

And finally, I’m interested to know what your career highlights have been to date – I’m sure becoming a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in Australia’s 2017 Honours List for your services to opera must be one such highlight?

Receiving the Gong, as they call it, was a true honour and I’m chuffed that it was awarded for doing something other than what is my day-job.

In 1994, I received a Churchill Fellowship to study opera conducting and, since then, I’ve devoted my energies to trying to inspire the next generations of singers – like I was by those artists who were performing with Opera Australia when I was young.

My career highlights….? The recent Armenian concert, every production of the Handa operas, concerts with my wife, Geraldine Turner, in Berlin, the handful of Gala concerts with Opera Australia, all those concerts with the divine Dame Kiri Te Kanawa. The list goes on – and I hope it will continue – but, foremost on my mind at the moment is Madama Butterfly and this incredibly wonderful production created by Àlex Ollé, Susana Gómez and the team of La Fura dels Baus.

It’s an absolute honour to be part of this production and I know audiences will adore it as much as I do. I’ve been a very lucky boy!

Michael Honeyman

As principal Baritone with Opera Australia, Michael Honeyman has distinguished himself in the title roles of Wozzeck (Helpmann Award for Best Male Performer in an Opera), King Roger (Green Room Award for Male Lead in an Opera and Helpmann Award nomination), and Simon Boccanegra. Leading roles for the company include Miller (Luisa Miller), Valentin (Faust), Escamillo (Carmen), Ford (Falstaff), Di Luna (Il trovatore), Donner (Das Rheingold), Ortel (Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg), Amfortas (Parsifal), Escamillo (Carmen), Sharpless (Madama Butterfly); Amonasro (Aida), Giorgio Germont (La Traviata), Sharpless and Escamillo for Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour; Amonasro for Opera on the Beach.

Michael has also performed Valentin for State Opera South Australia, Ned Keene (Peter Grimes) for Sydney Symphony Orchestra and Brisbane Festival; Elijah and both Dvořák and Mozart Requiemfor Sydney Philharmonia Choirs; Beethoven’s 9^th Symphony for Sydney Opera House’s 40^thbirthday celebrations; featured in The Sopranos for Opera Queensland and has given recitals for ArtSong Perth and for ABC Classic.

Hello Michael, thank you for talking with us at TheatreArtLife! How are you doing, and how are the preparations coming along for your performance as Sharpless in Madama Butterfly?

Preparations have come along really well. We’ve had relatively kind weather this last month and little interference to our rehearsal schedule! I am the only principal returning to this production after it premiered in 2014 and it’s been very interesting to collaborate with a new cast and discover fresh insights.

The gap of 9 years and two other productions of Butterfly, has allowed me to develop my understanding of Sharpless and his relationship to Butterfly.

I understand that you have performed the role before with Opera Australia’s in-theatre productions, and am interested whether there are many differences in preparing for the Handa Opera series?

This is my fifth season performing for Handa Opera on the Harbour. Preparing for each season does require more mental and physical stamina. The sheer size of the stage, the size of the audience, adjusting to the different acoustics and to the technology, and of course, dealing with the elements – each takes its toll.

I’ve discovered that preparing for Handa Opera on the Harbour means preparing to enlarge your performance to match the scale of the event.

This production of Madama Butterfly has a theme that resonates strongly with audiences and has a contemporary setting. It has nuances that are specific to this production and are a joy to perform. The role of Sharpless is unchanged, however. In each production he remains the sympathetic observer of the tragedy.

Your career journey has certainly been an interesting one – you began working in finance before being recognised for your voice and making the move to full-time musician. I’m fascinated to hear about this career change and what your reflections are looking back at your transition from financier to Principal Baritone with Opera Australia?

My banking career now feels like the memories of a different person and a different life. While the transition was harder and longer than I could have imagined, I definitely feel more myself and ‘in my own skin’ since changing careers. I love the engagement with a live audience and the sharing of our stories.

Sometimes it is tempting to wonder how my career may have fared if only I started younger, but then remember how much I gained by living outside the theatre world for as long as I did. A work ethic, life experience, and a realistic but determined outlook were great qualities to bring to my training and preparation for theatre life.

And finally, is it possible to choose your career highlights to date? I’m sure that winning a Green Room Award for Male Lead in an Opera for King Roger, a Helpmann for the title role of Wozzeck, and other nominations must be contenders?

Working on Kaspar Holten’s amazing production of King Roger and collaborating with revival director Amy Lane was an intensely rewarding experience. I wish all work was that amazing!  And performing my first Wozzeck with the artist William Kentridge and his brilliant work was very special, although the challenge of that character and the difficult music gave me many sleepless nights.

I’ve also been blessed to create roles for new productions with legends of Australian theatre – Madama Butterfly with Graeme Murphy and John Bell’s Carmen.

Facts about Madama Butterfly on Sydney Harbour

• Madama Butterfly is one of the world’s most-loved 20^th Century operas by Italian composer Giacomo Puccini.
• The opera includes beautiful melodies and is based on the same heart-breaking tale as hit musical Miss Saigon.
• Puccini was known for putting “great sorrows in little souls”.
• This production premiered to great acclaim in 2014 and attendance exceeded 42,5000, breaking all previous box office sales for Handa Opera.
• This production was created by revolutionary Spanish theatre company La Fura dels Baus, led by director Alex Ollé.
• This is the first time OA is reviving the production in Australia.
• This is the only Handa Opera production that has been presented internationally, with the creative team adapting the piece to fit Rome: The Baths of Caracalla (2015 and 2016) and in Circus Maximus (2021).

Madama Butterfly on Sydney Harbour 2023 – Facts & Figures

• The total company size is 214 and counting, comprising a cast of 71 (20 principals and 51 ensemble), 75 members of the Orchestra, 58+ crew, along with 10 members of the Creative Team.
• The harbour stage is almost 2 and a half times larger than any other Australian indoor stage. Building it takes a team of at least 150 people, and once constructed, it is lifted by two cranes onto pylons in the water to create the seemingly ‘floating’ stage. Throughout the performance, the stage is accessed via a floating walkway.
• The grassy hill in Act 1 is covered with thirteen hundred squares of artfully trimmed artificial grass overlooked by a bamboo grove, made from real bamboo grown in northern NSW.
• The entire pop-up site is built in about 25 days, with the bulk happening in the first two weeks and cast and creatives arriving for rehearsals from Day 15. During this time, Surf Life Savers keep a watchful eye on the over water activities and safety of construction workers, performers, and staff.
• Conductor Brian Castles-Onion AM and the Opera Australia Orchestra members are housed in a custom-built orchestra studio named the ‘Underworld’ directly beneath the stage. The conductor maintains contact with the singers via in-ear monitors as well as TV monitors.
• The Opening Night red carpet is 350 metres in length.
• Approximately 800 glasses of sparkling wine are estimated to be sold each night. Over 26 performances, that’s almost 21,000 glasses!
• All onstage turf used in the production is recycled and reused.

Numbers of interest

• 1,920 – the man-hours in creating the costumes.
• 24 wigs used in the production.
• 32 times – the butterfly tattoo body stocking will be worn by Cio-Cio-San.
• 200 hours of rehearsal time.
• 2 cars are used for each performance – a taxi and town car.
• 1 speed boat is required per performance.
• 26 fireworks moments throughout the season (including general rehearsals).
• The Sun measures 12 metres in diameter, while the moon measures 6 metres.

Handa on Sydney Harbour Madama Butterfly continues Opera Australia’s outdoor event sustainability initiatives that include:

• Replacing plastic rain ponchos with Biowear Eco Ponchos (with sale proceeds donated to Clean Up Australia).
• Producing printed materials on recycled paper.
• Choosing biodegradable and environmentally friendly packaging cutlery and plates for food and beverage outlets, as well as backstage.
• Hiring biodiesel generators to support the power requirements for the event.
• Procuring ‘green’ rubber floor tiles for use across the venue that are composed of upcycled rubber tyres which would have otherwise been burned or sent to landfill.
• Making waterproofing for back-of-house walkways from 75 meters of recycled signage from previous events.

About Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour

• The inaugural season was in 2012 and quickly became the event not to be missed on Sydney’s annual cultural calendar.
• More than 500,000 people from across the globe have attended Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour.
• In 2022 the first ever major outdoor production of The Phantom of the Opera attracted more than 60,000 people.
• The shows make the perfect date night: breath-taking views of Sydney Harbour, drink and dine under the stars, spectacular performance, and fireworks!
• The custom built pop-up site seats approximately 3,000 people in the audience bleachers and offers impressive, themed dining and drinking options.
• The Platinum Club hosts a fine dining room, bar and lounge set amid the treetops. Packages include a three-course pre-show dinner, program, performance, and interval drinks.
• Travel packages are available with a variety of planned itineraries, discounts on accommodation, dining and other iconic Sydney experiences with a show ticket, e.g. Helloworld (Crowne Plaza Darling Harbour, private transfers from hotel), Travel Associates (Shangri-La and a travel advisor).
• Audience members can arrive in style via water taxi.
• Productions are supported by Dr Haruhisa Handa through the International Foundation for Arts and Culture, and the NSW Governments’ tourism and major events agency Destination NSW.

Madama Butterfly on Sydney Harbour runs from 24 March until 23 April.

Also by Michelle Sciarrotta:

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