One of the more controversial Met Opera productions in recent years has been Michael Mayer’s Rigoletto.
Making his Met Opera debut, Mayer brought a fresh perspective to Verdi’s perennial favorite, moving the story up several centuries and across a continent, setting it in the glitter and glitz of 1960 Las Vegas – a period where Frank Sinatra and the Rat Pack ruled the neon desert city, under the watchful eyes of the Mob.
In Mayer’s version the Duke of Mantua has been transformed into a casino owner and Rigoletto into a lounge act comic. Sparafucile remains a sinister murderer; however, he now drives a metallic Cadillac with furry dice dangling from the rear view mirror.
Diana Damrau, Piotr Beczala (Photo Credit: Ken Howard, Met Opera)
The booze flows freely and everybody smokes Marlboros. Count Monterone is an Arab sheik. Countess Ceprano is dolled up and made to look like Marilyn Monroe, complete with beauty mark. Sexy showgirls and a pole dancer in pasties and G string complete the picture.
This could easily have turned into a cheap joke, a silly parody at the expense of one of the most endearing operas of all time. But Mayer, a Tony Award winning Broadway director, avoided it by playing up the stereotypes of the period – and it works brilliantly. If you’re going to do something like this, you better go all the way. And Mayer certainly did.
The Met’s Live in HD broadcast Rigoletto last weekend and I went to see it just to find out first hand what all the fuss was about. And I have to say I fell in love with it. The production does a fabulous job recreating the look and feel of old Las Vegas. Mayer’s concept would certainly play well in the smaller confines of a Broadway theater (“Michael Murphy’s Rigoletto” perhaps?). On the cavernous Met stage it’s larger than life. The audience becomes hypnotized by all the bright lights and colorful characters.
Of course none of this would have been possible without Christine Jones’ extravagant sets and Susan Hilferty’s period perfect costumes. This was a successful collaboration of creative and like minded individuals.
Even the English supertitles were altered to reflect the period. Nothing has been changed in the original Italian libretto, but the English translation talks about “dolls” who are “knockouts,” and refers to some of the characters as “big shots” or “jerks.”
But no clever staging could be a complete success without a stellar cast, and that’s what the Met has assemble for this production. Polish tenor Piotr Beczala as the Duke captures the easy living attitude that epitomizes Las Vegas and his character. He has a dramatic yet expressive voice that brings out the lush lyricism of his music. His Questa o quella and La donna è mobile were heavenly.
German soprano Diana Damrau shines as the young, innocent Gilda who falls madly in love with the Duke. She has a gorgeous, rounded tone and captures the essence of youthfulness. Her Caro nome is a showstopper.
Zeljko Lucic (Photo Credit: Ken Howard, Met Opera)
Sparafucile is played convincingly by the young Slovakian bass Stefan Kocán. His voice has a rich resonant timbre that carries more than a hint of evil. He is certainly someone you don’t want to come across in a dark alley.
In the title role is Serbian baritone Zeljko Lucic. His face is pained and he is clearly unhappy. He hates his life but enjoys the perks. But nothing in his portrayal is more poignant than the closing scene with Gilda. He is in agony as he watches his beloved daughter die in his arms. Thanks to Lucic and Damrau’s vocal artistry this is the most powerful scene in this production.
The broadcast will be repeated on March 6 at 6:30 p.m. Click here for theater listings and for a list of the remaining Live in HD operas this season.