By STEVE SMITH [NY Times, 26 October 2008]
Two years ago Anthony Minghella’s new production of “Madama Butterfly” served as a calling card for the newly arrived general manager Peter Gelb’s vision of the Metropolitan Opera as a place not only for great singing but also for theatrical innovation. Minghella, a gifted English filmmaker who died in March, offered a gorgeous cinematic spectacle. Dancers and puppeteers made for a lively bustle, but Michael Levine’s spare, elegant sets focused attention on the principals by surrounding them with vast, empty space extended with a mirrored ceiling.