M. Butterfly

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M. Butterfly
February 5 – March 14, 2026
M. BUTTERFLY

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M. Butterfly

Drama

On Stage

February 5 – March 14, 2026

Tickets: $35 – $135

Call 415.677.9596 to buy tickets by phone.

San Francisco Playhouse • 450 Post Street • Union Square

M. Butterfly

By David Henry Hwang

David Henry Hwang’s M. Butterfly is a captivating drama that subverts Puccini’s Madame Butterfly through the true story of a French diplomat’s 20-year affair with a Chinese opera singer. As cultural and personal identities blur, the play challenges our assumptions about love, power, and deception. With its clever twists and poignant humor, M. Butterfly is a thought-provoking exploration of desire, illusion, and the complexities of human connection.

1988 Tony Award for Best Play

“A heated, intensely provocative show. It never lets up.” Deadline

“It will move you, it will thrill you, it may even surprise you. It is a play not to be missed, and it is a play once caught that will never be forgotten.” The New York Post

Play Details

Created by Created by
Play by David Henry Hwang
Venue Venue
San Francisco Playhouse, 450 Post St., San Francisco CA 94102
Est. Run Time Est. Run Time
2 hours, 35 mins. One 10–minute intermission
Performance dates Performance dates
February 5 – March 14, 2026

PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE

Day of week Matinee Evening
Monday - -
Tuesday - 7:00 pm
Wednesday 2:00 pm 7:00 pm
Thursday - 7:00 pm
Friday - 8:00 pm
Saturday 3:00 pm 8:00 pm
Sunday 2:00 pm -

Note: View the official calendar for full schedule including special performances.

ACCESSIBLE PERFORMANCES

For blind and visually impaired audience members, San Francisco Playhouse partners with Gravity Access Services to offer live audio description and haptic access tours for selected performances.

About the Playwright

DAVID HENRY HWANG’S stage works includes the plays M. Butterfly, Yellow Face, Chinglish, Kung Fu, Golden Child, The Dance and the Railroad, and FOB, as well as the Broadway musicals Elton John & Tim Rice’s Aida (co-author), Flower Drum Song (2002 revival) and Disney’s Tarzan. Hwang is a Tony Award winner and three-time nominee, a three-time OBIE Award winner, a Grammy Award winner who has been twice nominated, and a three-time Finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in Drama. Opera News called him America’s most-produced living opera librettist. He co-wrote the Gold Record “Solo” with the late pop icon Prince and was a Writer/Consulting Producer for the Golden Globe-winning television series The Affair from 2015-2019. Hwang is currently creating Empress, a TV series for Netflix; the live-action musical feature film The Hunchback of Notre Dame for Disney Studios; and a movie to star actress Gemma Chan. Hwang serves as Head of Playwriting at Columbia University School of the Arts and sits on the Board of the American Theatre Wing, where he recently completed his term as Chair. His newest work, Soft Power, a collaboration with composer Jeanine Tesori, premiered at Los Angeles’ Ahmanson Theatre, where it won six Ovation Awards. Its subsequent run at the Public Theatre in NYC received a 2020 Grammy nomination for Best Musical Theatre Album and was a Finalist for the 2020 Pulitzer Prize in Drama. In 2016, The David Henry Hwang Society was founded by William C. Boles (Rollins College), Martha Johnson (University of Minnesota), and Esther Kim Lee (University of Maryland). The DHH Society is devoted to the scholarly examination of plays by David Henry Hwang.

The show is on stage six days a week; Tuesday through Sunday. Showtimes are as follows:

Tuesdays at 7:00 P.M.
Wednesdays at 2:00 P.M. and 7:00 P.M.
Thursdays at 7:00 P.M.
Fridays at 8:00 P.M.
Saturdays at 3:00 P.M. and 8:00 P.M.
Sundays at 2:00 P.M.

Showtimes may vary. Always consult the official show calendar or call 415.677.9596 for updated dates and times.

Tickets range from $35 to $135, although prices may fluctuate depending on date, showtime, and demand. Discounts are available to season subscribers.

M. Butterfly premiered at the National Theatre in Washington, D.C., on February 10, 1988. The play then opened on Broadway at the Eugene O'Neill Theatre on March 20, 1988, where it went on to win the Tony Award for Best Play.

San Francisco Playhouse's auditorium is on two levels: Orchestra and Mezzanine/Balcony. Our intimate 199-seat theatre has only nine rows in the Orchestra, meaning every single seat is close to the stage.

San Francisco Playhouse seat map chart

 

San Francisco Playhouse is located at 450 Post St., San Francisco CA 94102. The theatre is located on the second floor of the Kensington Park Hotel. Patrons may access the venue using the elevators or stairs in the hotel lobby.

San Francisco Playhouse is ADA accessible. The theatre is located on the second floor and can be accessed by two elevators from the lobby level. Wheelchair and companion seating are located on the theatre's mezzanine level.

We do not offer onsite parking, and the hotel's valet is only available to guests of the Kensington Park Hotel. To reserve a parking spot with SpotHero, visit the San Francisco Playhouse SpotHero Parking Page. Limited street parking is also available.

We recommend taking BART or Muni to San Francisco Playhouse. We are four blocks from the Powell Street BART/Muni station — just a seven-minute walk.