MICHAEL WILLIS
Michael Nansel as Rigoletto and Jordan Bowman as Gilda, in Light Opera of New Jersey’s “Rigoletto.”
By all appearances, Giorgio Lalov’s new production of Giuseppe Verdi’s “Rigoletto” for Light Opera of New Jersey looked traditional, down to the classic Renaissance scenography. But instead of opening the opera with the lavish ball at the Ducal Palace, the curtain rose to the tragic death of Gilda, where the opera customarily ends.
The reimagined production took place at Sieminski Theater in Basking Ridge, Feb. 7-8, with the LONJ Chamber Orchestra conducted by Jason C. Tramm. Against the opening prelude, Gilda’s lifeless body was laid centerstage in the customary burlap sack. Principals gathered around with grave faces and Rigoletto silently grieved his dead daughter. This was Lalov’s own invention: Francesco Maria Piave’s libretto, based on the 1832 play “Le roi s’amuse” by Victor Hugo, is linear.
Set in 16th century Mantua, Italy, it tells the story of the court jester Rigoletto, who tries to protect his daughter Gilda from the womanizing Duke of Mantua. Despite his efforts, she is seduced by the Duke, leading to a series of tragic events. Gilda sacrifices herself to save the Duke and Rigoletto’s quest for revenge ultimately backfires, resulting in her death.
Lalov is not the first director to rearrange the traditional narrative sequence of “Rigoletto,” the most famous being Jean-Pierre Ponnelle’s 1973 production. But the vast majority of “Rigoletto” stagings do not rearrange Verdi’s original structure, because that has a way of undercutting the emotional and dramatic trajectory of the story’s narrative arc.
MICHAEL WILLIS
C. Paige Porter as Countess Ceprano, left, with Nathan Snyder as The Duke of Mantua, second from left, in “Rigoletto.”
This kind of thing has been used in other operas to grand effect, including Damiano Michieletto’s 2015 staging of “Cavalleria rusticana” in which Pietro Mascagni’s one-act opera opens with the death of Turiddu. Did it work here? In such a highly conventional staging, the unconventional reversal of events felt unnecessary. Lalov succeeded best at keeping things neat, tidy and genteel, playing down the tragedy and violence.
Verdi and Piave ran into many problems with the censors on a wide range of topics, including the Duke’s hedonism. Modern directors like to run riot with the story’s pulpier moments, but there was very little of that: Even Maddalena — who is often turned into a vampy, trampy seductress — was only given a hint of a bare shoulder.
Scenography was kept minimal with a set of stairs serving as the location for all three acts, plus some furniture here and there. Atmospherically, there was no real sense of the Ducal Palace bling or the gloomy Mantuan alleyways. In good sense and taste, Rigoletto’s physical deformity was not stressed. There were no prosthetic humps or bumps, though he was given a limp.
Piave’s characters are strongly drawn, but this production did not dwell on the finer points of their personalities.
At the heart of the story is the Duke’s corruption and immorality, which leads to tragedy for everyone in his orbit. In the opening scene, the Duke asks Rigoletto what he should do about his latest crush, the Countess Ceprano, and more importantly, what to do with her husband: exile him, arrest him or kill him? The scene is important to set up the sinister Duke as the absolute “padrone.” Nathan Snyder’s quiet but expressive demeanor made for a more mild-mannered Duke, apart from the seething “Ella mi fu rapita!” aria. An appealing ping to his voice kept arias lively, from “Questa o quella” to the famous “La donna é mobile.” He added dramatic context and shading when necessary.
MICHAEL WILLIS
Michael Nansel with Jordan Bowman in “Rigoletto.”
Rigoletto, too, as the Count’s loathsome enabler, needs to feel truly malevolent and cynical in order to make it believable that he would be intimidated by Monterone’s curse and hire the hitman Sparafucile. The curse needs to feel deserved. Michael Nansel had the presence and range to carry it off, with a focused “Pari siamo!,” a passionate “Cortigiani” and paternal tenderness in the gentler duets with Gilda. Court scenes were played as a bumbling buffoon — a touch too literal and cartoonish — and he fared better in his scenes around Mantua, especially in his encounter with Sparafucile, who was sung by Valerian Ruminski in beautiful, dark, Verdian color and stentorian tone. The two worked wonderfully together, as did much of the ensemble, including a seamless “Bella figlia dell’amore” quartet.
Jordan Bowman’s Gilda expressed less of the character’s naivety and innocence (Rigoletto keeps her hidden away in the family home) and was more warmhearted and level-headed. She handled all the demands of the fach, which expands to coloratura mid-opera with the virtuoso set piece “Caro nome.” She tossed off the cadenza with ease.
Her arias (and her other moments including the Act III confessional) were conducted with a persistent sostenuto, which emphasized Verdi’s long and legato phrases but made for uneven pacing. Overall, Tramm had a nice command of Verdi’s color, shade and tension, but the opera’s nimble libretto often responds better to brisk tempos and supple rhythms.
An ensemble of a dozen musicians played a reduction that sometimes lacked Verdi’s sharp details and ardor. They sounded best in the quieter, stiller moments, including melodic accompaniment to “Caro nome” and Rigoletto’s “La rà” standoff with the courtiers, led by chorus master Rider Foster.
Minor but rewarding roles were played by Kevin Courtemanche as Borsa; Christian Arencibia as Count Ceprano; and C. Paige Porter as Countess Ceprano, Giovanna and the Page. Robert Garner as the gossipy instigator Marullo gave the role lyrical elegance and stylish verve; Vladimir Hristov as Monterone was more of an otherworldly specter than a proud, noble Count; and Christina Lamberti had something of a classic Hollywood charm that made for an upmarket Maddalena.
It was all worth hearing, even if it sometimes fell short on Verdi’s musical and dramatic depths.
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