ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the translocal connections created by M. Butterfly in London because the play cannot be considered in isolation. M. Butterfly's production sparked and consolidated new networks between the translocalities in which it was performed, both undergoing and influencing the circulation of plays and practitioners. The chapter also examines its staging in New York, Singapore and London, highlighting the shifting emphasis on theatrical practice through the play's mobility. Goei found out about the play in Singapore and decided to stage it as his first Mu-Lan production, actively extending its translocal circulation. In examining the translocal circulations through which the play developed, it is easy to overlook how it was grounded in London and the venue of the Royal Court Theatre in particular. As British Chinese and Singaporean actors based in London worked with Mu-Lan and then with Goei in Singapore, they were sometimes offered additional work on modern classics alongside Asian American actors, such as in The Glass Menagerie.
