BD Wong and John Lithgow in the original 1988 Broadway staging of "M. Butterfly."
30 YEARS AGO (1988)
M. Butterfly by David Henry Hwang opens on Broadway at the Eugene O’Neill Theatre (after bowing at Washington, D.C.’s National Theatre). The play is inspired by the true story of a French diplomat’s affair with a young male Chinese opera singer, whom he believed to be a woman. The production, directed by John Dexter and originally starring John Lithgow and BD Wong, will run for more than 700 performances and win the Tonys for best play, best featured actor in a play (Wong), and best direction of a play.