Utah Opera's Rigoletto

I was so excited to see Utah Opera's production of Rigoletto last night because it is one of my favorite operas and it certainly didn't disappoint!  The hunchback Rigoletto (Scott Hendricks) is a jester in the court of the licentious Duke of Mantua (Matthew White).  He amuses the Duke by mocking the husbands and fathers of the women the Duke has seduced but this often earns their anger, especially Count Monterone (Christopher Clayton) who places a curse on Rigoletto in retaliation.  Rigoletto returns home to his beloved daughter Gilda (Jasmine Habersham) and, even though he is fiercely protective of her, she manages to meet and fall in love with a man she sees at church.  This mystery man, who is none other than the Duke, contrives to meet her that night and professes his undying love to her.  The courtiers, who want to teach Rigoletto a lesson, kidnap Gilda and bring her to the Duke.  Rigoletto is distraught and arranges for an assassin named Sparafucile (Kevin Thompson) to help him get revenge.  However, the plan goes horribly wrong leading Rigoletto to despair because Monterone's curse has come to pass.  The music in this opera is incredibly beautiful and I especially loved "Caro nome," in which Gilda declares her love for the Duke (who she thinks is a penniless student), because it uses coloraturas to mimic the themes played by two flutes, "La donna e mobile," in which the Duke accuses women of being fickle, because even though it is light and charming it is really an indictment of the Duke's behavior, and "Cortigiani, vil razza dannata," in which Rigoletto tearfully begs the courtiers to release his daughter, because it is so affecting.  I also really loved the themes played by a solo cello, a solo bass, and the woodwinds when Rigoletto first meets the assassin Sparafucile because it is so sinister.  The entire cast is outstanding (I was particularly struck by the ensemble in the number "Scorrendo uniti," in which the courtiers tell the Duke that they have kidnapped Rigoletto's daughter, because the staging is so humorous) but the three leads are absolutely phenomenal.  I loved White's voice but the choice to have such a young, charismatic, and handsome actor play the villain was very effective because it made his behavior seem even more reprehensible.  Habersham was absolutely luminous and her rendition of "Caro nome" just about brought the house down.  Hendricks has tremendous stage presence and he was brilliant at portraying both the foolish jester and the devoted father willing to do anything to protect his daughter (he made me laugh multiple times and brought a tear to my eye).  The period sets and costumes reflected the both opulence of the Duke's court (lots of luxurious red and gold fabrics) and the simplicity of Rigoletto's house and Sparafucile's workshop.  This production is heartbreaking but powerful and I enjoyed everything about it!  There are two more performances and I highly recommend getting a ticket (go here) to one of them!