Clive Owen & Jin Ha in M. Butterfly

M. Butterfly issues an earlier Broadway closing notice

Julie Taymor's Broadway revival of M. Butterfly will now play its final performance on December 17, 2017.

Tom Millward
Tom Millward

Producers of the Broadway revival of David Henry Hwang's 1988 Tony Award-winning play M. Butterfly, directed by Tony Award winner Julie Taymor and starring Academy Award nominee and Golden Globe winner Clive Owen, have posted a new early closure notice for the production. Originally scheduled to close on February 25, 2018, then January 14, it will now play its final performance at the Cort Theatre on December 17, 2017. Previews began on October 7, before an official opening on October 26. Upon closing, the production will have played a total of 19 previews and 61 regular performances.

Synopsis: "The modern classic M. Butterfly charts the scandalous romance between a married French diplomat and a mysterious Chinese opera singer - a remarkable love story of international espionage and personal betrayal. Their 20-year relationship pushed and blurred the boundaries between male and female, east and west - while redefining the nature of love and the devastating cost of deceit."

Clive Owen stars as Rene Gallimard alongside Jin Ha as Song Liling in a cast that includes Clea Alsip, Murray Bartlett, Michael Countryman, Celeste Den, Jess Fry, Enid Graham, Thomas Michael Hammond, Cole Horibe, Jason Ignacio, Kristen Faith Oei, Erica Sweany, John Leonard Thompson, and Erica Wong.

The creative team behind M. Butterfly features original music by Oscar winner Elliot Goldenthal, choreography by Ma Cong, scenic design by Paul Steinberg, costume design by Constance Hoffman, lighting design by Donald Holder, sound design by Will Pickens, wig and hair design by Dave Bova, and makeup design by Judy Chin.

M. Butterfly is produced on Broadway by Nelle Nugent, Steve Traxler, Kenneth Teaton, Benjamin Feldman, Doug Morris, Spencer Ross, Hunter Arnold, Suzanne Gilad, Cecilia Herbert, Jim Kierstead, Alix Ritchie, Larry Rogowsky, Storyboard Entertainment and Jeffrey Sosnick.

The production marks the first major New York revival of the Pulitzer Prize finalist play, which won the Tony Award for 'Best Play' in 1988 and also earned director John Dexter a Tony for 'Best Direction of a Play' and B.D. Wong a Tony for 'Best Featured Actor in a Play.' The play also earned Tony nominations for scenic, costume and lighting design and a 'Best Actor in a Play' nod for John Lithgow.

M. Butterfly held its world premiere in Washington, D.C. at the National Theatre in 1988 before transferring to Broadway's Eugene O'Neill Theatre, where it played a total of 9 previews and 777 regular performances.

Clive Owen made his Broadway debut in the Roundabout Theatre Company revival of Harold Pinter's Old Times at the American Airlines Theatre in 2015. His previous West End credits include 'Romeo & Juliet,' 'Design for Living,' 'Closer,' and 'A Day in the Death of Joe Egg.' On screen, he picked up a BAFTA and a Golden Globe, as well as an Academy Award nomination, for his role as Larry in "Closer" in 2005. He earned an Emmy nomination and Golden Globe nomination for "Hemingway & Gellhorn" in 2012/13, and a further Golden Globe nomination at for "The Knick" (2015). Other screen credits include "Children of Men," "Inside Man," "The Bourne Identity," "Elizabeth: The Golden Age," "Sin City," "Gosford Park," and "King Arthur."

M. Butterfly Tickets are available now for performances through to December 17, 2017.

(Photo by Matthew Murphy)

Originally published on

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