Disappointing because Rigoletto is not only one of Verdi's greatest but also one of the best operas ever written and because this was a period where New York City Opera were putting on great productions and in their prime. That said, while one of the weaker Rigoletto's I've seen this 1988 production is far from bad, just lacklustre. It does have its fair share of good points, if more musically than visually. The orchestra are on top form, their overall playing is warm and beautiful and they do play with lively energy and dramatic intensity. The chorus singing is very well-balanced and the conducting is both alert and attentive as well as alive to dramatic urgency, if in want of more lyricism. And a good amount of the performances are impressive though none of them are absolutely outstanding.
The best performance is that of Faith Esham, who has a beautiful voice whether it's her warm middle register and her bell-like top register, as shown in Caro Nome(quite easily the best sung rendition of the production for the opera's solo arias). She is also a very communicative actress, not only is she very moving but she is also one of the boldest Gildas I've seen which was hugely appreciated. While from personal opinion Rigoletto is in want of a more powerful voice than that of Brent Ellis's, he is still very good in the difficult title role, apart from being too grotesquely made up. His voice has a lovely quality- though when it comes to Verdi it is more suited to Germont than Rigoletto- and is shaped with finesse and he plays the complex menace and tragedy of the role beautifully to deeply affecting effect. Mark S. Dross is a suitably ruthless Sparafucile, you feel a real sense of dread right from when he appears, and he sings with resonance and warm, if slightly lightweight, tone.
Susanne Marsee has a good voice that positively purrs but she does overdo the seductiveness, too vamp-ish rather than kitten-like. Richard Leech is a mixed bag as Duke of Mantua, he has a strong tenor voice, exudes with great confidence, is appropriately boyish and is both charming and a rake. His singing is lacking in musicianship however, complete with a rendition of La Donna e Mobile that almost a semitone sharp the entire time and some high note self-indulgence(high notes have a thrilling effect, but with Leech more interpolated high notes than needed and holding them on for a long time it felt like overkill), and he is not quite aristocratic enough. The secondary roles are of variable quality, most are competent but not always memorable, but the only real disaster actually was the most vapid Monterone you could fine anywhere, he should be imperious and dignified but this Monterone had no personality whatever though the staging may have been part of the problem.
Coming onto the staging, Rigoletto is a very concise opera with plenty of drama and emotional impact but little of that comes through in this production, most of it is very static and timid in atmosphere with some of the singers just standing still and using stock gestures(at least though Esham and Ellis have very expressive faces that make them interesting to watch). The chorus look overly-serious often and they are given little to do(my vocal acting teacher calls it "1940s schlock"). Some of the staging is cluttered, especially in the over-choreographed opening scene that took seedy and glitzy to extreme measures, the abduction scene(always in all fairness a problematic scene) is improbably done and primitively lit and Sparafucile appearing after Gilda's abduction offering his services was a focal distortion of the titular character's tragedy. The lack of a window, which Gilda and Rigoletto have to see through in Act 3 to see what Duke of Mantua and Maddalena are up to and proof that he is up to no good and his deceit of Gilda(without it the action of the rest of the act seems pointless), and that ridiculously overlong kiss manage to mar the quartet too. The production is not a very appealing one visually too, sometimes it's garish and other times it's overly stark complete with a too modest set for Rigoletto's home, only Sparafucile's dwelling is halfway convincing. The lighting can be too dark as well and after viewing the entire production on Youtube the camera work has an over-reliance on close-ups and the interviews have very little to say that's interesting despite the involvement of the lovely Beverly Sills.
Overall, not bad by any stretch of the imagination but rather disappointing. 5/10 Bethany Cox
The best performance is that of Faith Esham, who has a beautiful voice whether it's her warm middle register and her bell-like top register, as shown in Caro Nome(quite easily the best sung rendition of the production for the opera's solo arias). She is also a very communicative actress, not only is she very moving but she is also one of the boldest Gildas I've seen which was hugely appreciated. While from personal opinion Rigoletto is in want of a more powerful voice than that of Brent Ellis's, he is still very good in the difficult title role, apart from being too grotesquely made up. His voice has a lovely quality- though when it comes to Verdi it is more suited to Germont than Rigoletto- and is shaped with finesse and he plays the complex menace and tragedy of the role beautifully to deeply affecting effect. Mark S. Dross is a suitably ruthless Sparafucile, you feel a real sense of dread right from when he appears, and he sings with resonance and warm, if slightly lightweight, tone.
Susanne Marsee has a good voice that positively purrs but she does overdo the seductiveness, too vamp-ish rather than kitten-like. Richard Leech is a mixed bag as Duke of Mantua, he has a strong tenor voice, exudes with great confidence, is appropriately boyish and is both charming and a rake. His singing is lacking in musicianship however, complete with a rendition of La Donna e Mobile that almost a semitone sharp the entire time and some high note self-indulgence(high notes have a thrilling effect, but with Leech more interpolated high notes than needed and holding them on for a long time it felt like overkill), and he is not quite aristocratic enough. The secondary roles are of variable quality, most are competent but not always memorable, but the only real disaster actually was the most vapid Monterone you could fine anywhere, he should be imperious and dignified but this Monterone had no personality whatever though the staging may have been part of the problem.
Coming onto the staging, Rigoletto is a very concise opera with plenty of drama and emotional impact but little of that comes through in this production, most of it is very static and timid in atmosphere with some of the singers just standing still and using stock gestures(at least though Esham and Ellis have very expressive faces that make them interesting to watch). The chorus look overly-serious often and they are given little to do(my vocal acting teacher calls it "1940s schlock"). Some of the staging is cluttered, especially in the over-choreographed opening scene that took seedy and glitzy to extreme measures, the abduction scene(always in all fairness a problematic scene) is improbably done and primitively lit and Sparafucile appearing after Gilda's abduction offering his services was a focal distortion of the titular character's tragedy. The lack of a window, which Gilda and Rigoletto have to see through in Act 3 to see what Duke of Mantua and Maddalena are up to and proof that he is up to no good and his deceit of Gilda(without it the action of the rest of the act seems pointless), and that ridiculously overlong kiss manage to mar the quartet too. The production is not a very appealing one visually too, sometimes it's garish and other times it's overly stark complete with a too modest set for Rigoletto's home, only Sparafucile's dwelling is halfway convincing. The lighting can be too dark as well and after viewing the entire production on Youtube the camera work has an over-reliance on close-ups and the interviews have very little to say that's interesting despite the involvement of the lovely Beverly Sills.
Overall, not bad by any stretch of the imagination but rather disappointing. 5/10 Bethany Cox
