Rigoletto

English National Opera - London Coliseum

Is Rigoletto cursed? This opera is full of drama, revenge and a problematic love story. Guaranteed to put you on the edge of your seat.

Giuseppe Verdi's classic opera 'Rigoletto' has been perfectly placed in the London Coliseum. Johnathon Miller has directed a tense and emotion filled show. Rigoletto, played by Weston Hurt, is a bar man and one evening the mafia are drinking at this glamourous bar. The bar man takes his jokes a bit too far, so far so that the Duke of the Mafia curses him. DRAMA.

Foreshadowing the tragedy that is to follow.

Rigoletto's daughter Gilda, played by the extraordinary opera singer Robyn Allegra Parton is kept at home and the Mafia think Gilda is Rigoletto's mistress that he's hiding from everyone. The story is based on the mafia kidnapping her and her falling in love with the Duke. Little does she know he is not the person he has fabricated to woo her. The 'Vendetta' is in motion. The story is dated and whilst the opera is a beauty, the story is problematic at times. It feels like this was tackled by Gilda being such a strong female character. However, it is clear that the men over power the women in the story.

The shining star of the show is Gilda, played by Robyn Allegra Parton. The emotion she portrays is greatly moving and the emotion in her voice is unmatchable. She sounds like a butterfly, her voice flutters and it is stunning. She clearly shows a girl coming of age and feeling 'love' for the first time. This woman will make you cry and her story is compelling. Rigoletto played by Weston Hurt is a surprising character. He works with the mafia, but he does not really have any edge, he plays a loveable character and he keeps his daughter locked away, but you don't feel any strong emotions towards him, even though his character on paper does not sound like a good person. He is caring towards Gilda, comedic and a bit weak. Not what was expected. Weston Hurt, although he is a vastly talented opera singer, did not seem fit Rigoletto's character and Gilda out shines him. The Duke, played by Yongzhaob Yu displays a very evil character, with so many different personalities. He plays this loveable student with Gilda and changes for all female characters to show his womanizer character. He cleverly makes the audience fear him and dislike his character and he has a massive, booming voice to match this character. A fantastic casting.

The set was glorious and glamourous. It is set in Little Italy, New York City in the 1950s and they have very clearly created that on the stage! The bar the Mafia congregate in is huge and grand. It reminded me of The Ritz and the cast all wear costumes to reflect the setting, black and white suits, dresses and lots of grand jewels to show their status. A glass is never empty. During Act 1 Scene 2 the set is the most iconic! They create a dark alley where the assassin lurks out of the shadows to confront Rigoletto and they create a seedy area where Rigoletto's home is behind bars to show how his daughter is trapped inside. The flats have the typical New York fire escapes that go down the block in a Z shape. This consolidates the New York setting. This set clearly shows the darkness of the piece and the cast in the mafia wear dark costumes to camouflage them in the darkness of the alley. Hiding them from Rigoletto and he has no idea of the trouble that is to come.

A great evening and your typical dramatic opera! It is a perfect opera for a beginner, because it is easy to follow, a clear story line and it is also in English. You have more opportunity to break away from the subtitles and see the story unfold through the characters. Opera stories are always over the top and unrealistic. The tragedy of this show did not feel emotive enough and the end of the opera did drag. On the other hand the ending for someone who is new to the story, like myself, was not expecting the level of the tragic ending and was taken a back. This is one element of opera that I have found to love, it has to be a crazy story and filled with the most insane character arcs. A great opera for beginners and it's full of glamour.

If you want to dip your toes into the world of opera, which I highly recommend. The ENO has a range of offers for those under 21 who can see opera FOR FREE and under 35 who can have a discounted tickets.

Under 21: https://www.eno.org/your-visit/ways-to-save-offers/under-21s-come-free/

Under 35: https://www.eno.org/your-visit/ways-to-save-offers/under-35s/

Get your tickets to Rigoletto: https://www.eno.org/whats-on/rigoletto/?gad_source=1&gbraid=0AAAAAo3q_EKjW4fSCi4tSfhKUti8uholr&gclid=Cj0KCQiA0MG5BhD1ARIsAEcZtwQN98tNsOmRN8pNZJN1YTgT5h7oEjiYnsEBAzj8Sn0bUaei_fYpTE8aAqceEALw_wcB&action=book