A new director, a new production, a new season — all of these stirred emotions last night at the Metropolitan Opera, but none as much as the presence of large screens that were set up on the plaza of Lincoln Center and in Times Square for a live simulcast of the premiere of Anthony Minghella’s “Madama Butterfly.” That was exactly the point for the impresario of the event, the Metropolitan Opera’s new director, Peter Gelb.

“This is my first opening night, and my intention was to share opera with the largest possible audience,” Mr. Gelb said. He was facing the plaza, where 2,700 seats had quickly been filled and hundreds of spectators were standing.

“There are 8,000 or 9,000 people watching ‘Madame Butterfly,'” Mr. Gelb said. “Considering the audience in the opera house is 3,800, we’ve more than doubled the number watching.”

Unlike the audience inside the Met, the outdoor audience was treated to a star-studded preshow that took place along 200 feet of red carpet and became a parade of celebrities.

The stars hadn’t necessarily decided to express their passion for the opera by showing up for the opening night gala, when tickets are $75 to $5000. Many of them had arrived at the opera with the hired assistance of the wellconnected Manhattan film publicist, Peggy Siegal.Appropriately, some were open about their lack of opera experience.

“This is my first opera,” actress Sienna Miller said during the first intermission. And what did she think? “It’s amazing, it’s beautiful,” she said as Jude Law sipped from a plastic champagne flute.

The objective of having celebrities on hand was similar to the outdoor screens: to help create buzz around the opera. “My greatest challenge is to keep the Met — and opera, more broadly — connected to contemporary society,” Mr. Gelb wrote in his first essay for the season’s Playbill.

Some opera supporters, such as Beverly Sills, said the celebrities had been drawn by the buzz. Whatever the case, their presence will inevitably generate more buzz, thanks to the hundreds of paparazzi and television reporters who showed up along the red carpet, recalling the press hoopla that accompanies the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute gala.

“It can’t be bad,” Barry Diller said.

“If it makes more people want to come, fine,” Barbara Walters added.

“As long as quality isn’t sacrificed,” the literary agent Lyn Nesbitt said, “but I haven’t seen many.”

Kristina and Arthur Ward had better luck spotting them. They sat next to Iman and David Bowie during the performance. “They didn’t leave their seats for intermission,” Mrs.Ward said.

Bebe Neuwirth said this was her second opera. “My friend told me I would cry and that it would be very beautiful,” she said.

Many Metropolitan Opera board members also walked the red carpet and voiced their support for Mr. Gelb’s vision. “It’s important that we open up the opera,” a board member, Benjamin Rosen, said. “This is the first time we’ve had so many people and we hope that we will be replicating this all year long.”

“Normal is never something I want to use to describe the Met’s opening night,” another board member, William Rollnick, said. “It’s always different and fun, and this is especially fun. I love seeing people sitting on the plaza and I’d love to be in Times Square because that’s where the action is.”

Mayor Giuliani added his approval of the night, “I think it’s wonderful,” he said. “It’s always one of the great events in New York City. I’ve seen many ‘Madame Butterflies.’ I’m excited for this one. It’s a great compelling romance.”

“I love Puccini,” Judith Giuliani said. “Me and Rudy both love him, being Italian.”

Asked how he felt on opening night in New York, director Anthony Minghella said, “It’s terrifying. We’ve come a long way. It’s a great credit to Peter that he brought us here. We’re thrilled to see share it with him.”

Despite the presence of the celebrities, one woman outshined them all: Metropolitan Opera board member Mercedes Bass, who with her husband gave $25 million to the opera. The new Mercedes Bass Grand Tier was unveiled during intermission.

“I’m on top of the world,” Mrs. Bass, wearing Oscar de la Renta, said. “This is a dream come true. I wish I could do more, and I hope that other people can follow in our footsteps.”

“She’s amazing,” the opera star Renee Fleming said of Mrs. Bass. “Her devotion to opera is unparalleled and we need that right now.”

After the performance, 970 guests gathered in a tent in Lincoln Center’s Damrosch Park, transformed by the event designer David Monn into a modern Asian fantasy, with 2,000 paper lanterns on the ceiling of the tent and the tables covered with gigantic pink and white paper peonies and Asian white silk tablecloths. Bamboo stalks lined the walkway from the opera house to the tent. Mrs. Bass and her friends sat at round tables. Mr. Gelb had a long table, and another table was reserved for the celebrities. The menu included miso-glazed halibut and crispy baby spinach; baby poussin with wasabi sauce, and lemongrass-coconut sorbet.

The die-hard opera fans were alternately amused and unfazed by the star wattage. Some of those standing along the spiral staircase watching people flood in joked about not being able to recognize anyone. Asked if she’d seen any celebrities, one woman quipped, “Yes! There’s my sister.”