Seven Days: Vermont's Independent Voice

Love Takes Wing

The Winter Is a Drag Ball has come and gone, but the cross-dressing continues in White River Junction — onstage, that is. It’s a surprisingly common theme in theater — just look at the works of William Shakespeare — but David Henry Hwang’s M. Butterfly weaves the concept into a love story more sordid than most, involving the 20-year romance between a French diplomat and a Chinese opera star who only seems to be the perfect woman. Inspired by Puccini’s Madame Butterfly and a real-life relationship that made international headlines, this tale of espionage, false pretenses and betrayal plays out, courtesy of Northern Stage.