I am often dismayed by directors’ attempts to do something original, changing the time, place and even the plot of operas in the name of modernity and a misplaced passion for relevance, but Jonathan Miller’s Rigoletto, which was first seen at the ENO more than 40 years ago, is a rare exception that truly works. His realisation that Verdi’s story of anarchic Renaissance Italy could be transplanted to become a tale of New York’s Mafia-run Little Italy in the 1950s, was a stroke of genius.
The current production is its 14th revival, featuring some excellent performances and, for the most part, some impressively imaginative casting. The hunchbacked Rigoletto, jester to the Duke of Mantua in the original and Jokester to the Mafia ‘Duke’ in Miller’s version, is played by American baritone Weston Hurt, singing powerfully and switching convincingly between making vicious gibes at the Duke’s foes and showing his own misery and love for his daughter Gilda whom he keeps hidden.
Remarkably, Weston Hurt was born with only one hand, which makes his performance as Rigoletto even more convincing. He is on record as saying “So far in my life, I have definitely found that ten fingers are overrated,” and the absence of his right hand even adds conviction to his portrayal of the hunchback.
Gilda herself is beautifully played by British soprano Robyn Allegra Parton making her ENO debut in captivating style. The clarity of her voice and artless acting ability make her touching performance a joy to watch and listen to.
Further impressive triumphs of casting come with the choice of British bass William Thomas, who is delightfully menacing as the sinister assassin Sparafucile, and Welsh baritone David Kempster in the small but significant part of the wretched Monterone, who falls foul of the Duke. His powerful singing as he denounces the Duke and places a curse on Rigoletto is most impressive.
With conductor Richard Farnes maintaining a vigorous pace and bringing out the best of Verdi’s glorious music from the orchestra, this all added up to an impressive and highly enjoyable evening. The only weak point was the casting of Chinese tenor Yongzhao Yu as the Duke.
He has sung this role impressively before in Italian, but seemed less comfortable with the ENO’s policy of performing in English. James Fenton’s translation is excellent by ENO’s slightly dodgy standards, but Yu’s marked accent and restricted fluency made him a doubtful choice for the role.
Rigoletto is playing at the Coliseum until 21 November.
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