On Apr. 23, Pacific Opera Victoria (POV) premiered a new staging of Giuseppe Verdi’s Rigoletto set in Victorian England. The universality of Rigoletto, a tale of tragic revenge, lends itself to this change in time and place from its original Renaissance setting.
In 1850, Verdi was commissioned by La Fenice, Venice, to compose a new opera. He was entranced by Victor Hugo’s play Le roi s’amuse (“The king amuses himself”), which was controversial in France for its negative portrayal of Francis I and banned after its premiere. Verdi said of the play, “The subject is grand, immense, and there is a character that is one of the greatest creations that the theatre can boast of, in any country and in all history.” This character, the court jester Triboulet, became the title character Rigoletto in Verdi’s opera, completed in 1851.
Grant Youngblood in the title role of Pacific Opera Victoria’s Rigoletto. Photo: David Cooper Photography
From the Gentleman’s Club to the Riverside Inn
Set Designer James Rotondo made excellent use of the Royal Theatre’s relatively small stage. A tall metal structure filled most of the stage, allowing performers to take up its vertical space. Instead of being cramped together downstage, characters could stand on a platform above, or in-between on stairs, all allowing for dynamic interactions. To stage left, there was a slope seemingly covered with a cobblestone pattern, or a city map. All together, this made for a versatile setting that had to represent the gentleman’s club of the opening scene, the streets outside Rigoletto’s home, and the riverside inn where Gilda’s murder takes place.
Rotondo has a knack for interactive stage design. For example, in the opening scene there is a large painting hanging near centre stage. With the pull of a rope, a painting of Queen Victoria is replaced with a scandalous image of a group of women and then easily set back to the original. Later, Rigoletto tears the curtain framing the same painting to shoo away the men of the court when Gilda wants to talk to him privately.
Rotondo’s thoughtful designs help to unify the opera’s original themes with stage director Glynis Leyshon’s reimagining of Rigoletto in Victorian England.
Rebekah Janzen (Giovanna), Sarah Dufresne (Gilda), and Grant Youngblood (Rigoletto) in Pacific Opera Victoria’s Rigoletto. Photo: David Cooper Photography
Company Debuts and Dazzling Duets
Rigoletto and his daughter Gilda are played by two new faces to POV: Grant Youngblood and Sarah Dufrense.
Rigoletto is familiar to Youngblood, having sung the role with Opera Delaware and Opera Baltimore in the 2023/2024 season. He embodies the requirements for a Verdi baritone with his smooth, rich tone, clear-sounding Italian and expressive acting. In the final scene, when Gilda dies in his arms, the baritone makes his voice crack as he delivers his final musical phrases. This intentionality sells the performance in a deeply affecting moment.
Dufrense plays Gilda, an innocent who gets swept away by the Duke of Mantua’s charms. This is the Canadian soprano’s role debut, and she quickly stole the show. I was most impressed by Dufrense’s control of her voice. The challenging role includes many sustained high notes and staccato rhythms, both of which Dufrense handles with ease. I found myself holding my breath during her performance of “Caro nome” as the orchestra faded away, leaving the audience to sit with the soprano’s beautiful upper tones.
In her several duets with Youngblood and Matthew Pearce (the Duke), Dufresne’s control again played a role, her angelic tones blending perfectly with her male counterparts.
Sarah Dufresne (Gilda) and Grant Youngblood (Rigoletto) in Pacific Opera Victoria’s Rigoletto. Photo: David Cooper Photography
The Captivating Voices of Evil Men
As the Duke, Pearce grew more commanding as the opera progressed. His attempts to woo Gilda masquerading as a poor student were particularly convincing as he let his passion seep through. This carried forward in Act II where he showcased rich vocals in “Ella mi fu rapita.”
Matthew Treviño sang Sparafucile, the professional assassin who Rigoletto hires to kill the Duke. Though this character has less stage time than Rigoletto, Gilda, or the Duke, Treviño made a strong impression. A standout moment was his extended low note when exiting after his first meeting with Rigoletto.
Matthew Pearce (the Duke) and Matthew Treviño (Sparafucile) in Pacific Opera Victoria’s Rigoletto. Photo: David Cooper Photography
“The subject is grand, immense”
Pam Johnson did not costume Rigoletto in the traditional outfit of a court jester. Instead of bright colours and a hat with bells, he wore a wool grey vest, pinstripe shirt and pants, and black dress shoes. In this way, Rigoletto is not so obviously othered, not so clearly a clown or fool to laugh at. This everyman look makes him more relatable and gives the impression that these truly tragic events could happen to anyone.
This type of attention to detail, evident in all of the production’s elements, helped POV deliver an original vision of Verdi’s Rigoletto with its enduring message about the price of absolute power and the quest for revenge.
Pacific Opera Victoria has three more showings of Rigoletto from Apr. 25-29. For more information and purchase tickets, visit https://pacificopera.ca/
