Is it true love or just a fantasy? The achingly beautiful score and heartbreaking tragedy at the core of Puccini’s masterpiece explode in a new production by designer Yuki Izumihara and director Ethan Heard that transcends stereotypes, empowering the young protagonist Cio Cio San with new agency over her story.

Soprano Karen Chia-ling Ho and tenor Anthony Ciaramitaro make their company debuts as the lovelorn geisha and her reckless American husband, Lieutenant B.F. Pinkerton, who sees her as a toy he can purchase, play with, and abandon. Anthony Clark Evans (Rigoletto, 2022), returns as the cautionary American consul Sharpless, with mezzo Kristen Choi (The Raven, 2022) as the steadfast maid Suzuki.