M. Butterfly is inspired by a true story of a French diplomat who carried on a twenty year affair with a Chinese opera singer and spy, without realizing the true gender of his lover.
M. Butterfly is one of the most celebrated American plays, and the first by an Asian-American to open on Broadway. Premiering in 1988 in a production directed by John Dexter, it won numerous awards, including the Tony Award for Best Play, the Drama Desk Award, the Outer Critics Circle Award for Best Broadway play, and the John Gassner Award for the season’s outstanding new playwright. It was also a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize.
M. Butterfly ran for two years on Broadway, a year on London’s West End, and has been produced in over three dozen countries. It will be revived in Fall 2017 on Broadway, in a new production directed by Julie Taymor.
David Henry Hwang, Clive Owen and Julie Taymor introduce M. Butterfly.