The cleansing deluge was welcome after listening to Opera Australia’s re-imaging of Puccini, Illica and Giacosa’s heart-rending opera.

First performed in 1904, successive iterations of the opera have re-told the tragic story of a Young Japanese woman who loves and trusts too well a hero who betrays her in the cruellest possible way. Butterfly is eternally popular, as the packed Canberra Theatre attested and the audience was vocal in its approval of the performance.

I found the production problematic. The sound balance between orchestra and singers was uneven throughout and the extra effort required to rise above the ensemble by soprano Sharon Zhai (Cio-Cio-San) produced a shrillness at times and straining in the voices of the other soloists.

It was extremely difficult to hear and interpret the lyrics, as singers seemed to be focussing on volume rather than enunciation. There were some timing issues in the Chamber Orchestra in the first half that contributed to some unease on stage. However, in the second half, there was greater cohesion in the ensemble and dynamic climaxes that supported the emotional crises being enacted.

Perhaps the central challenge of the production is John Bell’s treatment of the original story.

The narrative feels compressed and Pinkerton and Cio-Cio-San don’t have enough time to develop a convincing romantic relationship in the first act.

The tragic outcome is more effective when we suspend disbelief through most of the second act and hope that Pinkerton’s love for Butterfly will outweigh his other desires for a ‘proper’ American wife.

Relocating the action to Post World War II Japan in the time of American occupation is a distraction. The stark set and oddly balanced lighting were disappointing.

Members of Woden Valley Youth Choir performed with confidence as the Children’s Chorus, thoroughly embracing the opportunity to work with accomplished singers and taste the excitement of a fully staged opera. It was a pleasure to hear these young voices.

For all the praise given to Puccini for his soaring music and his ability to manipulate emotions to weave a tragic tale to a cathartic conclusion, I am weary of operas in which women are victims, and who, despite their loyalty and devotion, are betrayed and killed.

As the program notes remind us, ‘Puccini was apparently quite the Pinkerton himself’ – a renowned womaniser who wrote the opera just as the scandal about his numerous affairs reached crisis point and destroyed his marriage.

If Opera Australia wishes to keep performing Madame Butterfly in new ways to appeal to contemporary audiences, I would love to see a new ending in which Cio-Cio-San lives – and perhaps Pinkerton doesn’t.

Madame Butterfly, Opera Australia, Canberra Theatre. Until Saturday September 8. Bookings on 6275 25700 or www.canberrratheatrecentre.com.au