Poor Butterfly. After the opera failed miserably at its La Scala premiere on Feb. 17, 1904, Puccini made extensive revisions which tightened things up considerably, and the work reemerged with great success when it was performed a few months later at Brescia.

Miami Lyric Opera put its best foot forward Saturday night in its presentation of Madama Butterfly in the composer's three-act final, Paris revision. If the company stubbed its toe a few times, the audience, no more than a stone's throw away at Miami Beach's small Colony Theater, was at least guaranteed an intimacy to the story's unfolding tragedy.

Since late-romantic opera is usually dependent on grand forces to convey the sweep, spectacle and lyrical emotions of the drama, an orchestra of just 24 players cannot begin to cope with the work's emotionally draining score. What might pass muster in an opera for which instrumentalists play a mostly accompanying role, Puccini's verismo demands an equal partnership, and although conductor Jeff Eckstein kept things moving -- perhaps too vigorously at times -- the ensemble sounded rough and occasionally out-of-tune and was prone to bloopers.

Still, despite its modest budget, the Lyric Opera did rather well by its Butterfly, abandoning its minimalist traditions to adorn the performance with colorful costumes, effective props and a vastly improved set design. Even on close scrutiny, almost all the elements held up reasonably well.

At 15, Puccini's Butterfly is placed in the unfortunate circumstance of becoming a woman and a mother long before her emotions are ready to cope with either role. Her American lover, Navy Lt. B. F. Pinkerton, is a cad, able to procreate but unable to take responsibility for the ruined life of his delicate paramour. For him their marriage was a temporary indulgence, and, after the passionate duet that concludes Act 1, he does not reappear until Act 3, when he returns to Nagasaki three years later with his American wife to claim his child.

Bao-Guo Wang's Cio-Cio San (Butterfly) has the slight physique and demeanor to make her character's plight seem plausible, although her light soprano was sometimes barely audible and quavered when she tried to push it. Her great duet with Pinkerton could have benefitted from a greater effort on her part to glance at the object of her affections rather than at conductor Eckstein, but, in fact, her voice simply is not up to this demanding role, and her singing too often seemed perfunctory.

Tenor Jorge Antonio Pita made an effective Pinkerton. His pleasing voice projected well, and he covered his range without a hint of pushing it beyond its capabilities. His final Addio fiorito asil (Farewell, flowery refuge) during which Pinkerton reflects on his one-time love nest, was touching, although a better-fitting uniform would have boosted Pita's onstage image.

The rich mezzo-soprano of Emilia Acon as Suzuki, Butterfly's loyal servant, was affecting and gorgeous to listen to. Acon, who also acted her role well, is definitely a performer to watch. Other artists will perform Suzuki and Cio-Cio San for the company's Aug. 2 performance. Also outstanding was Diego Baner as Bonze. Although his part as the Japanese priest is small, when Baner sweeps in during the wedding ceremony to denounce the bride for embracing Christianity, he does so with authority and a bass to rock the foundations. Others in the cast gave adequate to reasonably good performances, and the women's chorus, ably trained by Pablo Hernandez, sounded fresh and tuneful.

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