Opera New Jersey, New Jersey’s premier opera company, will launch its 2008 season with concert-staged performances of Verdi’s Rigoletto at three different renowned venues in New Jersey in February. The performances will be held on February 1 at Community Theatre at Mayo Center for the Performing Arts (Morristown), February 8 at the McCarter Theatre Center (Princeton) and February 10 at the State Theatre (New Brunswick).
Community Theatre is a new performance venue for Opera New Jersey; in 2007 the company performed Puccini’s Turandot at McCarter Theatre and State Theatre. “We are thrilled to take our company to Community Theatre,” says Lisa Altman, Executive Director of Opera New Jersey. “We are focused on truly becoming the state representative for opera and, in expanding our reach to the northern section of New Jersey by partnering with the Community Theatre, we are making that goal a reality.”
Noted stage director and Opera New Jersey regular Michael Scarola (New York City Opera, Utah Opera, Dallas Opera, Indianapolis Opera) will create an inventive concert-staged version of the Verdi work to highlight the spectacular talents of the international cast. Opera New Jersey audiences will be familiar with the concert-staged format, having seen it first in February 2006 with Verdi’s Falstaff and again in March 2007 with Puccini’s Turandot. In a semi-staged production, the orchestra performs behind the fully-costumed cast onstage.
The singers will also utilize props and evocative set elements as they tell the tragic story of the hunch-backed jester, his beautiful daughter and the curse – La maladizione – that destroys them both. From Gilda's tender "Caro nome" to the Duke's swaggering "La donna è mobile" and the celebrated quartet, Rigoletto offers music of unsurpassed lyricism and depth.
John Keenan (The Metropolitan Opera, Kirov Opera, Los Angeles Opera, Washington Opera), will conduct all three performances of Rigoletto.
The stellar cast includes Richard Zeller (The Metropolitan Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, New
York City Opera, Live from Lincoln Center, Opera de Bordeaux) in the title role, John Osborn (The
Metropolitan Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Berlin State Opera, Opéra National de Paris) as the Duke of Mantua and Eglise Gutiérrez (Opera Orchestra of New York at Carnegie Hall, L’Ópera de
Montreal, Santa Fe Opera, Teatro dell’Opera di Roma, Seattle Opera) as Gilda. -- www.njot.org
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