What specific techniques of structure, style, or storytelling does the playwright of M. Butterfly use to create a meaningful theatrical experience?

M. Butterfly is written by playwright David Henry Hwang. He is a Chinese-American playwright, as well as a librettist, professor, and screenwriter. While many of his plays have been influential, especially for Chinese and Asian-Americans, M. Butterfly is perhaps his most well-known play due to its clever subversion of traditional Orientalist fantasies and stereotypes. 

The play is structured around Puccini's opera, Madama Butterfly. This opera, which relies on many Oriental stereotypes, is subverted by David...

M. Butterfly is written by playwright David Henry Hwang. He is a Chinese-American playwright, as well as a librettist, professor, and screenwriter. While many of his plays have been influential, especially for Chinese and Asian-Americans, M. Butterfly is perhaps his most well-known play due to its clever subversion of traditional Orientalist fantasies and stereotypes. 

The play is structured around Puccini's opera, Madama Butterfly. This opera, which relies on many Oriental stereotypes, is subverted by David Henry Hwang. In this way, the structure of M. Butterfly is unique.

Oriental fantasies are based on two figures: the Oriental female and the Western male. These figures exist in M. Butterfly in the characters of Gallimard and Song. Gallimard draws all of his ideas on Eastern women from this opera, which is grounded in Oriental misconceptions. (For more information on Orientalism, check out the link below.) David Hwang subverts these storytelling cliches by playing with gender. Gallimard's desire is rooted in Orientalism, and so he fails to see Song for what he is: a man. When Song's identity is revealed, he refuses to take on the characteristics of a stereotypical Asian woman. Instead, Song appears and acts as a Western man, putting Song in the position of power. This brilliant storytelling twist is a clever move by Hwang to demonstrate how the West frequently mischaracterizes the East. 

M. Butterfly is a meaningful theatrical experience because its subversions of stereotypes are best appreciated when embodied onstage. The audience can see Gallimard's misconceptions of Song, and the dramatic irony is appreciated. The play is a visual feast, as well as a blending of gender and racial expectations.