Verdi's Classic Tragic Opera

A mainstay of the opera repertory, Verdi's Rigoletto is a thrilling, cinematic experience that set pulses racing and tongues wagging when it first debuted in Venice in 1851. The gritty production overcame its initial problems with the censors of its day to become one of the world's most widely performed operas, beloved for its memorable tunes and electrifying revenge plot. Don't miss Portland Opera's 2018 production, featuring the return of former resident artists Katrina Galka in the role of Gilda.

Embellished with luxurious costumes and sweeping, elaborate stage designs, the story follows the titular Rigoletto, the court jester to the Duke of Mantua, a philanderer who's unconcerned with morality. When Rigoletto's mockery of the Duke's courtiers goes too far, a curse is placed on him by the cuckholded husband of one of the Duke's conquests. His innocent, pure and beautiful daughter Gildam, who has not escaped the Duke's roving eye, becomes entangled in the ensuing tragedy.