Last month I went to the Coliseum to see the English National Opera's production of Rigoletto, set in 1950s Little Italy in Jonathan Miller's iconic New York staging. Giuseppe Verdi's three-act opera is one of the best-loved in the repertoire and tells a tragic story of jealousy, vengeance and sacrifice.
Based on Victor Hugo's play Le roi s'amuse, Francesco Maria Piave's original Italian libretto is set to Verdi's hugely popular score featuring the famous Women abandon us (La donna è mobile) led by conductor Richard Armstrong. Americans take the three lead roles: the baritone Nicholas Pallesen in the title role, soprano Sydney Mancasola as his shy daughter Gilda and tenor Joshua Guerrero as The Duke. I loved the mafioso staging and the simple, stylish stage design from Rosemary Vercoe and Patrick Roberston, and enjoyed Rigoletto as much as the ENO's Tosca production last year.
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Based on Victor Hugo's play Le roi s'amuse, Francesco Maria Piave's original Italian libretto is set to Verdi's hugely popular score featuring the famous Women abandon us (La donna è mobile) led by conductor Richard Armstrong. Americans take the three lead roles: the baritone Nicholas Pallesen in the title role, soprano Sydney Mancasola as his shy daughter Gilda and tenor Joshua Guerrero as The Duke. I loved the mafioso staging and the simple, stylish stage design from Rosemary Vercoe and Patrick Roberston, and enjoyed Rigoletto as much as the ENO's Tosca production last year.
Read more culture posts & London features
