'Things go horribly wrong' in 'Rigoletto' at Utah Opera

The story of Giuseppe Verdi’s “Rigoletto” is by no means a happy one, and the staff and artists at Utah Opera will be the first to admit it.

“It’s the story of a father, his descent into madness — which he causes — and the result is the loss of the one thing he cares about, his daughter,” said Tara Faircloth, director of Utah Opera’s production opening Jan. 21 at Capitol Theatre.

“Rigoletto,” one of the composer's better-known operas, is based on the Victor Hugo play “Le roi s’amuse,” often translated to “The King’s Fool.”

The story follows the downfall of Rigoletto, a hunchbacked jester in the court of the Duke of Mantua known for mocking the fathers and husbands of women who have fallen victim to the Duke’s constant womanizing ways.

Rigoletto’s ridiculing earns him a curse at the hand of a nobleman named Monterone, and the curse haunts him to the end of the story. Caught up in revenge against the Duke for deceiving his daughter Gilda, Rigoletto ultimately loses everything he holds dear.

Faircloth suggested that audiences might want to see the opera “just to see how things go horribly wrong — the world is not perfect. Even when you try to do everything right, you can fail miserably.”

She then laughed, adding that that may be more of a reason to not see it.

But Guido LeBrÓn, the baritone singing the Rigoletto role in this production, said he believes that tragedy makes for the best operas, just as it made for the best Shakespeare plays.

“When we’re in our seats as an audience member, I think we connect more with tragedy, because maybe we understand it better,” he said. “We get touched in a different way than with comedy.” He mentioned watching comedic TV shows as a nice distraction. But when he wants to be truly moved, he seeks something truly rewarding, like “Rigoletto.”

As tragic as the storyline is, LeBrÓn and Faircloth emphasized how relatable it is.

“I think ‘Rigoletto’ is incredibly visceral,” Faircloth said. “I mean, who can’t understand a man loving his daughter, wanting the best for her? And who isn’t horrified when everything he’s tried to do to make things better result in destruction?”

LeBrÓn added that Rigoletto is definitely the underdog of the story and that most everyone can identify with that.