Ever since it opened the 2006–07 season, Anthony Minghella’s striking production of Madama Butterfly has been a Met classic. Drawing inspiration from traditional Japanese theater, Minghella’s staging retells this heartbreaking tale with brilliant stagecraft, bold colors, and bunraku puppetry. In this Live in HD performance from the fall of 2019, Chinese soprano Hui He stars as Cio-Cio-San, the young geisha who puts her trust in a visiting American naval officer, only to later be abandoned by him. In a feat of operatic heroics, tenor Bruce Sledge appears as the callous Pinkterton, stepping into the role on short notice to replace an ailing colleague. Pier Giorgio Morandi conducts one of opera’s most tragic masterpieces, leading a cast that also includes mezzo-soprano Elizabeth DeShong as Cio-Cio-San’s loyal companion, Suzuki, and Tony Award–winning baritone Paulo Szot as the U.S. consul Sharpless.
Unfortunately the movie The Metropolitan Opera: Madama Butterfly is not yet available on Disney Plus.
| Writing | Luigi Illica | Writer |
| Sound | Pier Giorgio Morandi | Conductor |
| Writing | Giuseppe Giacosa | Writer |
| Directing | Habib Azar | Director |
| Directing | Paula Williams | Stage Director |
| Art | Anthony Minghella | Production Design |
| Crew | Carolyn Choa | Choreographer |
| Production | Elena Park | Supervising Producer |
| Writing | David Belasco | Original Story |
| Production | Victoria Warivonchik | Producer |
| Costume & Make-Up | Stephanie Spangler | Wardrobe Master |
| Costume & Make-Up | Han Feng | Costume Designer |
| Lighting | Peter Mumford | Lighting Design |
| Sound | Tim Martyn | Music Producer |
| Costume & Make-Up | Tera Willis | Makeup Department Head |
| Production | Mia Bongiovanni | Supervising Producer |
| Crew | Paul Cremo | Dramaturgy |
| Crew | Ron Washburn | Technical Supervisor |
| Sound | Giacomo Puccini | Original Music Composer |
| Production | Louisa Briccetti | Producer |
| Art | Michael Levine | Set Designer |
| Production | Peter Gelb | Executive Producer |
