On Monday night, the Metropolitan Opera will premier a new production of Giuseppe Verdi's "Rigoletto."
The new production will be directed by Michael Mayer, the man behind such Broadway hits as "Spring Awakening" and "American Idiot." Mayer's new vision for Verdi's classic tragedy is set in 1960's Las Vegas and Mayer told the New York Times that "I started to think about Las Vegas during the Rat Pack years. That world was very much about using women, in pretty corrosive ways, and discarding them when they were done. It all seemed to fit."
"Rigoletto" will be the fifth new production of the 2012-13 season. The Met opened the year with a new "Elisir D'Amore," then premiered Thomas Ades' "The Tempest" in October. In November, the Met showcased a new vision for "Un Ballo in Maschera" and on New Year's Eve the company introduced "Maria Stuarda" to its audiences for the first time in the opera house's history.
"Rigoletto" will be headlined by an all-star cast that includes tenor Piotr Beczala as the Duke, baritone Zeljko Lucic as "Rigoletto," and soprano Diana Damrau as his daughter Gilda. Michele Mariotti will be at the podium.
The opera opens Monday Jan. 28 and runs for 14 performances with two casts. The aforementioned cast will sing on Jan. 31, Feb. 4, 8, 12, 16, 19, and 23. The second cast takes over on April 13 and performs on April 16, 20, 24, 27, and May 1. That group includes Lisette Oropesa as Gilda, Vittorio Grigolo as the Duke, and George Gagnidze in the title role. Marco Armiliato conducts the second run of "Rigoletto."
Latinos Posts' David Salazar will be at tonight's performance and will provide a review that will be published tomorrow.
Here are some videos and photos for the new production courtesy of the Met Opera Press Department.
Photos