Dean Linnard as René Gallimard
San Francisco Playhouse’s magnificent revival of playwright David Henry Hwang’s M. Butterfly upends Puccini’s culturally antiquated opera, Madame Butterfly. Director Bridgette Loriaux’s precise direction and elegant choreography enhance the psychological depth in this strikingly physical production, allowing the emotional undercurrents to surface with clarity and force.
Both Madame Butterfly and M. Butterfly center on an actual French diplomat stationed in Beijing during the 1960s. The play begins with René Gallimard, portrayed by the profoundly talented Dean Linnard, in a French prison for espionage—an incarceration he emphatically defines as “an enchanted place I occupy.” There is immediate suspicion that Gallimard’s sense of reality is distorted, that he is constructing a narrative to protect himself from humiliation. Linnard shines in portraying this self-delusion with subtle distinctions.
Edric Young (Song Liling)
While in jail, Gallimard fluidly shifts back and forth in time, reenacting his twenty-year relationship with Song Liling. Song, a beautiful Chinese opera singer, appears to epitomize the perfect submissive and gentle woman. In Song, Gallimard believes he has found the woman of his fantasies—an Asian woman who unconditionally treasures him and confirms his worth.
Edric Young, as Song, masterfully embodies intelligence, control, and subtle independence. Song feeds Gallimard’s need for dominance—the Western illusion that equates masculinity with power. During the Chinese Cultural Revolution, she slowly entangles him in espionage, manipulating both his desires and his blindness. Song performs femininity as a role. Gender, for her, is not biological—a theme that resonates strongly in our present cultural moment. The revelation that Song is a man dressed as a woman, while possibly shocking, now carries a different cultural weight.
Amanda Pulcini, Aleisha Lew, Elena Wright, Anthony Doan, Stacy Ross, Adria Swan, Andre Amarotico and Catherine Luedtke
The set design by Randy Wong-Westbrooke amazes with dark tiered steps, the risers shifting in color to complement the stunning costumes by Keiko Carreiro. The atmosphere, accentuated by serene lighting from Michael Oesch and sound design by James Ard, evokes the theatricality of China.
Andre Amarotico’s (Marc ), Dean Linnard (René Gallimard)
Andre Amarotico’s Marc stands out as Gallimard’s misogynistic friend, brazenly boasting about sleeping with 300 women. Marc pushes Gallimard toward rigid Western ideals of masculinity masquerading as Eastern insight. Humorous yet forceful, his presence reinforces Gallimard’s fantasy of himself as a powerful diplomat in control of both politics and women.
Stacey Ross as M. Toulon excels as Gallimard’s superior, exerting sharp authority, particularly in her attempts to ground him in political reality. Ross is dynamic in her exchanges with Linnard, serving as a steady counterpoint to Gallimard’s escalating illusions.
Stacy Ross (M.Toulon), Dean Linnard (René Gallimard)
The talented ensemble, portraying Gallimard’s social and political world, highlight the tension between his private desires and public identity. Seamlessly shifting roles, they maintain the play’s momentum and thematic cohesion.
M. Butterfly at San Francisco Playhouse is a thoughtful, provocative revival that lays bare the collision of desire, culture, and fantasy—and how illusion can destroy reality itself.
See this play with a partner or friend. You’ll be talking about its many layers long after the final curtain.
“M. Butterfly” written by David Henry Hwang, directed & choreographed by Bridgette Loriaux, scenic design by Randy Wong-Westbrooke, costumes by Keiko Carreiro, lighting by Michael Oesch,sound by James Ard, at San Francisco Playhouse. Info: sfplayhouse.org to March 14, 2026.
Cast: Andre Amarotico, Anthony Doan, Dean Linnard, Catherin Luedtke, Amanda Le, Amanda Pulcini, Stacy Ross, Adria Swan, Storm White, Elena Wright, Edric Young.
All Photo Credit: Jessica Palopoli