Rigoletto is an opera in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi to a libretto by Francesco Maria Piave, based on Victor Hugo’s drama Le Roi s’amuse (“The King enjoys himself.”)
With Il trovatore (1853) and La traviata (1853) it forms Verdi’s so-called “popular trilogy.” Centered on the dramatic and original figure of a court jester, Rigoletto was initially subjected to Austrian censorship. The same fate had befallen the original drama Le Roi s’amuse in 1832, which was blocked by censorship and revived only 50 years after its premiere. In Hugo’s play, which neither the public nor the critics liked, the debauchery of the French court was in fact described in no uncertain terms, with the libertinism of Francis I, King of France, at its center. The compromise was reached in the opera to have the action take place at the court of Mantua, which no longer existed at that time, turning the king of France into the duke of Mantua. On June 3, 1850 Verdi wrote to Piave: “As for the title when one cannot keep Le roi s’amuse, which would be nice…the title must necessarily be La maledizione di Vallier, that is, to be shorter La maledizione. The whole subject is in that curse that also becomes moral. An unhappy father mourning the honor taken away from his daughter, mocked by a court jester whom the father curses, and this curse seizes the jester in a frightful way, seems to me moral and great, to the supreme great.” The final decision on the title fell on the protagonist’s name, changing it from Triboletto, a “literal” translation of the original Triboulet, to Rigoletto (from the French rigoler, meaning to joke). An intense drama of passion, betrayal, filial love and revenge, Rigoletto not only offers a combination of melodic richness and dramatic power, but also lucidly highlights social tensions and the subordinate condition of women in a reality in which nineteenth-century audiences could easily mirror themselves.[senza fonte] Musically we have, right from the prelude, the constant repetition of the theme of the curse, through the repetition of the note C in double dotted rhythm.

Director’s Notes

Rigoletto, a hunchbacked court jester, desperately tries to keep his daughter Gilda’s existence a secret from the courtiers, many of whom wish to take revenge on him for his cruel mockery. Gilda, unaware of the pitfalls of the world around her, has fallen in love with the frivolous and inconstant Duke of Mantua, believing him to be a poor student. The Duke, with cunning and deception, broke into Rigoletto’s house to passionately court Gilda, exploiting her innocence and naiveté. Later, the Duke’s courtiers kidnap Gilda, believing her to be Rigoletto’s lover, and bring her to court. Gilda, seduced and betrayed by the Duke, falls into despair, while Rigoletto, consumed by anger and grief, vows to take revenge for the wrong he has suffered. To this end, he hires a hitman, Sparafucile, to kill the Duke. However, in a tragic twist, Gilda, still in love with the Duke despite everything, sacrifices herself in his place, taking his place and dying
stabbed. Rigoletto is a complex character whose disabled body makes him an object of ridicule and marginalization. His physical condition does not meet the standards of normality and social acceptability, forcing him to live as an outcast in a cruel world. To survive, Rigoletto exploits his disability, turning it into a macabre spectacle that both amuses and disgusts the Duke’s court. This compromise allows him to be included as a member of the court, but at the price of his own dignity and humanity. Trapped in this social stranglehold, Rigoletto oscillates between shame on himself, hyper-protectionism toward his daughter Gilda, and a deep desire for revenge against the Duke, whom he holds responsible for his suffering.
The concept of RIGOLETTO is structured around the theme of the Rift, which emerges powerfully in every aspect of the opera, from the characters to the sets to the costumes. The term Spaccatura, derived from the Lombard spahhan, means to cleave, to create cracks in something. Verdi, with this opera, shines a critical light on a deeply flawed, corrupt and divided society, where the absence of morality toward women, the lack of compassion toward different bodies, and the unbridled pursuit of personal power at the cost of corruption and favoritism, reveal a world in which human values have been irreparably compromised. The concept of the production is not meant to be a simple act of denunciation, but rather an invitation to deep reflection on our contemporary society, our blind spots and the cracks that we still need to heal.
In this interpretation, the Rift becomes not only a narrative theme, but also a visual and symbolic element that permeates the entire staging. The sets, designed by Francesca Sgariboldi, play with broken lines and transparencies, creating an atmosphere of tension and uncertainty that reflects the tormented souls of the characters. Laurent Pellissier’s costumes, made from recycled materials and upcycling techniques such as patchwork and Japanese boro-boro, accentuate this division, using shapes and colors that clearly separate the world of the court, opulent and decadent, from the world of Rigoletto, dark and deformed. Cristian Zucaro’s lighting also helps emphasize the work’s emotional and moral fractures, with plays of shadows and cuts of light that amplify the sense of unease and alienation.

Playbill