A friend and I drove to Louisville Friday to see a performance of Madame Butterfly. Puccini set his creation in 1092 in the city of Nagasaki, Japan. The story is of an American lieutenant who marries a former geisha purchasing a home for her to live in while he is out on ship.

Madame Butterfly is 15 years old and very much in love. She renounces the religion of her ancestors to embrace the God of her husband. As a result she is rejected by her family. She is willing to give them up for the love of her life.

A clever law in Japan at the time gave husbands the prerogative monthly to either renew or let lapse the marriage bond. Madame Butterfly is blissfully unaware of this law. Her husband is very much aware.

After he sails, with the promise to return when the robins build their nests, Madame Butterfly waits for him to return. She does not wait passively. She waits with great passion...for three years.

Three years later he returns with his American wife to take his son. Madame Butterfly presents his three-year old son to him and with great anguish over his betrayal commits suicide.

This tragic story was beautifully complimented by a minimal stage set and full orchestra.

I can't say that I'm an opera lover or an opera appreciator...yet. But I can say that this performance was thrilling. Many years ago at my first opera...and there have been mighty few since...the audience followed the, in this case, Italian libretto (words) by reading them in the program. Besides a stiff neck from looking up at the stage and down at the program, one missed so much of the action happening on stage. Not so anymore. Conveniently located over the stage curtain, high above the action, is a screen showing the English translation. One does not have to take eyes from the action to follow the plot in one's native language.

The beautiful people of Louisville were in attendance. Glitz and glamor sat side by side with polyester and pants. Strapless gowns and wool suits; tuxes and sweaters. The beautiful people were sipping wine and 'being seen.' For sure they were being seen by me. I felt like an child being allowed to stay up late and come to the party.

And that's what I think about it.