I still think of myself as a newcomer to opera, so, when I write about a work I have seen before, especially as it was four years ago, it comes as something of a shock. It is the same production, directed by Femi Elufowoju jr. using the original costumes and scenery, so it is taking a leaf from the composer’s book, as am I, by being green. Verdi, green, geddit?
Leonardo Sánchez as The Duke of Mantua and Blake Denson as Rigoletto.
The action is set in the present day, or four years ago if you are going to be picky, and concerns Rigoletto, who is the court jester for the Duke of Mantua. No silly cap and bells on a stick for him, we begin in his dressing room with two attendants in powdered wigs and Regency clothes, looking like Elton John groupies, assisting him to don an OTT dinner jacket before going out to meet his public at a lavish party. It turns out that, as a joker and a misfit he has upset a lot of people who are not taking too kindly to his behaviour. Things aren’t helped by the fact that his master is a playboy and womaniser who makes Russell Brand look celibate. One of his conquests was the daughter of Count Monterone who interrupts the festivities to put a curse on the Duke and also the jester who he sees as an accomplice.
At the bash the Duke has been telling people of a woman with whom he has become infatuated after seeing her in church, and has lined up to be his next conquest – just as soon as he has finished seducing Countess Ceprano with whom he is flirting at the time. This prompts Rigoletto to mock her husband; you can see why no one likes him. Also on the guest list is Marullo, one of the Duke’s cohorts, who has discovered Rigoletto keeps a lover in a safe house.
Count Monterone, sung by Sir Willard White puts a curse on Mantua and Rigoletto.
Monterone’s curse has unsettled Rigoletto who goes to a safe house wherein lives Gilda, who everyone now thinks is his lover, but is actually his daughter and, co-incidentally, the girl in the cross-hairs of Mantua’s sights. On his way he is approached by Sparafucile, an assassin, who offers his services, but Rigoletto refuses. He arrives a bit late as the Duke has already begun his seduction of Gilda, assisted by her minder, Giovanna, but has left after having hearing several men’s voices outside. These belong to Marullo and victims of the jester’s taunts who have decided to take their revenge on him by kidnapping his ‘lover’. They are all in disguise and wearing masks so he doesn’t recognise them. To rub salt into the wound, they convince him that they are there to abduct Countess Ceprano and recruit him into the gang. By the time he works out what has happened, his daughter has gone.
Gilda has been taken to the Count’s building and hidden in a room by the kidnappers who, on being threatened by the Duke once he discovered this, take her to his bedroom where the inevitable happens. When Rigoletto finds out not only that his daughter has been with Mantua, but she now loves him even more, he hatches a plan and takes her to a less than salubrious part of town where the Duke is in the process of lining up his next mark, Sparafucile’s sister, Maddalena. Rigoletto is now only too pleased to engage his services and a deal is struck.
Blake Denson as Rigoletto, far right, takes Gilda, Raven McMillon, to spy on Mantua sung by Leonardo Sánchez getting it on with Maddalena, Alyona Abramova, who is the sister of Sparafucille, Callum Thorpe, far left.
Even though Gilda has seen Mantua in action with Maddalena her love has not waned so she returns, in disguise, to where she saw the action happen but Maddalena has also fallen in love with the Duke and, on being told by her brother that Rigoletto has put a hit on him, she begs him to kill the next poor unfortunate who happens along, wrap up the body so it can’t be seen and tell Rigoletto that it is the Duke. Obviously, the aforementioned unfortunate is Gilda, and while her father has gone to get the second half of the bounty to give to Sparafucile on completion of the contract, the deed is done.
After being duped by the kidnappers to help them abduct his daughter, Rigoletto is asked to dispose of the cadaver of ‘The Duke’, which he does, only to discover the actual contents of the body bag. Monotone’s curse has, therefore, been fulfilled.
Left to right; Rigoletto, Giovanna, Gilda and Mantua, sung by Blake Denson, Helen Évora, Raven McMillon and Leonardo Sánchez, respectively.
Although I can’t put my finger on it, there seemed to be a different feel to this production compared with the previous one, but it didn’t matter in the slightest as it was superb. There were lots of weird things going on but the oddest to me was that Gilda, tonight sung by Raven McMillon, seemed to be very young to be involved with anyone, let alone a scoundrel like the Duke, who told her he was a penniless student to win her over. Her room at the safe house was also more befitting a child rather than even a young woman, still last week in Eugine Onegin, we had a thirteen-year-old bride so what do I know? Everyone looks young compared to me. What really counted was that her voice was absolutely tremendous. Every note she sang was spot on and full of feeling.
Blake Denson as Rigoletto conveyed the range of emotions from being cocky enough to lambast betrayed husbands, to distraught at discovering that he had paid to have his own daughter killed. Leonardo Sánchez oozed a certain kind of creepy charm as Duke of Mantua, whose only concession to even the thought of commitment was when he said that Gilda was the only one he had met who might make him consider being faithful.
Blake Denson as Rigoletto, comforts his daughter, Gilda, Raven McMillon in her dying moments.
Although not a huge part, it was great so see the opera legend, Sir Willard White, as the uber imposing presence that was Count Monterone. When he puts a curse on you, you know that it will come to pass, with no mercy shown!
Sparafucile, the hitman, was sung by Callum Thorpe and convincingly conveyed the amoral side of him when it comes to the value of human life, as he got a tremendous pantomime villain round of booing at the curtain call. It was so loud that he looked quite shocked. I would like to assure him, I am certain he will read this, that it was the character and certainly not the singing which elicited the Bronx cheers.
Although the story seems full of tragedy and despair, which it was, there were some very inventive and amusing touches added by the Director, Femi Elufowoju jr. At the beginning when the lavish party was in full swing on a raised part of the stage, two waiters wheeled a whole hog on a spit from one side to the other for the consumption of the posh crowd. At the same time a Deliveroo cyclist peddled his way across the front, lower section, and distributed pizza to the security men minding the bash. Another incident was at the place where Sparafucile plied his other trade at what seemed like a drinks stall on wasteland where a couple of tents had been erected for the purpose of nefarious activities, causing one man to emerge trouserless pursuing the lady by whom he had been ripped off in more ways than one.
Themba Mvula as Marullo, in blue, with Ross McInroy as Count Ceprano, red jacket, and members of the Chorus of Opera North.
The sets and costumes, designed by Rae Smith, were superb, from the opulence of the Duke’s pad through to the aforementioned post-apocalyptic wasteland via Gilda’s extravagant, but over the top tacky, playroom.
The music was, as you would expect from Verdi, superb, with one of the all time great arias, La donna è mobile. If you don’t know it, or even if you do, give it a listen here.
Naturally, great music is no good without a great orchestra, and we have that in The Orchestra of Opera North; sixty musicians giving it all they have under the baton of Patrick Lange. Amazing, as were the Chorus of Opera North under Anthony Kraus.
Rigoletto is at Leeds Grand Theatre on various dates until 31st October, after which it tours to Newcastle Theatre Royal on 4th, 5th and 6th November; Lowry, Salford Quays on 12th and 14th November, ending on 19th and 20th November at Theatre Royal, Nottingham. For more details and to book, please go to https://www.operanorth.co.uk/whats-on/rigoletto/
For everything else Opera North related it is https://www.operanorth.co.uk
To see what is coming to Leeds Heritage Theatres see https://leedsheritagetheatres.com/whats-on/?genre=live
Photographs by Richard H Smith
Here is something which you might find amusing, or frightening! If you’re sceptical about the power of AI, here is something I found on YouTube whilst searching for Pavarotti singing La donna è mobile. It is a somewhat ancient live version which has been subtitled by AI and is hilarious, as it is done phonetically so makes no sense whatsoever, but frightening in that this is where the world may be going. Give me natural stupidity over artificial intelligence any day. Oh, sorry, you did!
