Will Julie Taymor Bring David Henry Hwang's M. Butterfly Back to Broadway?

David Henry Hwang's M. Butterfly may return to Broadway with a fellow Tony winner at the helm. According to the New York Post, Julie Taymor is in talks to direct a revival of the 1988 drama. This would mark the first major New York staging of the show since the original production, which won the Tony for Best Play and was a Pulitzer Prize finalist.

Last week, Taymor teased that she had a Broadway show in the works for next year, saying, "Oh, I'm coming back, but it hasn't been announced yet. But you'll see me next spring or next winter."

Taymor won Tony Awards in 1998 for directing and costume designing The Lion King. She was also nominated the previous year for her work on Juan Darien. She has since directed the premiere of Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark on Broadway, Grounded and A Midsummer Night’s Dream off-Broadway and The Magic Flute at the Metropolitan Opera. Her films include The Tempest, Across the Universe and Titus.

Inspired by Puccini’s opera Madame Butterfly, M. Butterfly follows the relationship between Rene Gallimard, a French diplomat living in China, and Song Liling, a soprano at the Beijing Opera who is secretly a male in disguise. Their affair lasts for over 20 years until Song’s identity as a man—and a spy—is revealed.

M. Butterfly premiered in Washington, D.C. at the National Theatre in 1988 before transferring to Broadway later that year. In addition to Best Play, the production earned Tony Awards for B.D. Wong, who played Song Liling, and director John Dexter.