by KYW's Bob Nelson
 
"M. Butterfly" is David Henry Hwang's multi-award-winning play based on that mind-boggling true story of a French diplomat's long-running affair with the star of the Beijing Opera Company.
   
The play is now enjoying its 20th anniversary -- and its initial Philadelphia run -- at the new Suzanne Roberts Theatre (see related story), under the auspices of the Philadelphia Theatre Company.

It's certainly a handsome production, brilliantly staged with eye-opening special effects and more-than-serviceable performances, but we should keep in mind that from both historical and cultural standpoints the narrative is showing its age.
    
The diplomat in question shared his marriage with his wife and the Chinese opera star -- a female impersonator who was also a Maoist spy.

While the play examines the male-female relationship, the political and cultural aspects of the story appear worn in light of the changing East-West relations and even the gradual assimilation of a once-foreign culture into our own.
 
"M. Butterfly" will always be the play that asks the question, "Can love really be that blind?" The answer: a qualified yes.

The play runs through February 24th at the Suzanne Roberts Theatre, Broad and Lombard Streets, along Philadelphia's "Avenue of the Arts."