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Giacomo Puccini took too long to write this opera, giving his company too little time to rehearse and culminating in a disastrous premiere. Puccini pulled it from the theatre, added a third act and reopened three months later to smashing success. Today, it ranks among the most lauded, oft-performed operas the world over. In it, an American naval officer marries and impregnates a 15-year-old Japanese girl while abroad. When he ventures back stateside for three years, he confirms that men are pigs by marrying an American, Kate, who he then cowardly forces to break the news to his first bride, who--to put it mildly--isn’t pleased. (JF)
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