From April 23 until May 13, Brian Mulligan sings Sharpless in Robert Wilson’s staging of Puccini’s heartbreaking Madama Butterfly at the Dutch National Opera.

The role of Cio-Cio-San is sung by Elena Stikhina, Suzuki by Enkelejda Shkosa, and Pinkerton by Gianluca Terranova (DNO debut). Jader Bignamini conducts.

Bachtrack sung his praises for his performance as Sharpless at the Opernhaus Zürich:

“…the evening’s strongest performance was Brian Mulligan’s Sharpless, who cautions the headstrong and irreverent Pinkerton that it is a “great sin to … break a trusting heart”. Sharpless is moral standard, cultural interface and master of diplomacy all in one – an easy fellow to like anyway – but Mulligan sang the role with authority and bravado.”