I’VE seen Madama Butterfly staged in theatres a couple of times, usually sat at the back in the cheap seats.

But this was a chance to see a classic opera in close-up, enhanced by the spectacular backdrop of Sydney Harbour.

Opera Australia added a modern twist to this production, demonstrated by a tattooed Cio Cio San (a game Hiromi Omura in a bodystocking) sporting cut-off denim shorts in the final two acts.

And seeing the facial expressions up close was a real treat, with Omura running the gamut from wide-eyed incredulity as a bride-to-be to hopeful wife waiting for Pinkerton’s homecoming and then to dead-eyed, rejected, woeful spouse.

For me the centrepiece number One Fine Day would have worked better with a little more harbour backdrop than the close confinement of Butterfly’s home as it was.

Georgy Vasiliev made for a slick Pinkerton, bringing a swoon-worthy matinee idol quality to the production.

He even managed to display an incredible amount of vulnerability, challenging Puccini’s type-casting as the villain of the piece.

There were some bold pieces of staging. From the fireworks at the end of the Butterfly and Pinkerton wedding to the boat and car used to transport cast members on and off the set, it was ambitious. And it worked.

The bamboo forest, the sun and moon and the twinkling lights of the Sydney skyline made this the most beautiful opera I’ve ever seen.

Having spent so much time in this Down Under city it made me long to return.

But watching opera from around the world, anywhere in the world, seems to be the way of the future.

Dorchester Odeon regularly shows a mixture of musicals, operas, ballet and National Theatre Live screenings.

The only thing that ruined my complete enjoyment of the night was the unbearably hot temperature in the cinema auditorium, which couldn’t be corrected due to a problem with the boiler, we were told.