Rigoletto: Bad Things Happen When You Hire an Assassin in a Dive Bar
(Phoenix & Tucson) Arizona Opera brings Verdi's masterpiece of a vengeful court jester to the stage. With unforgettable arias that are synonymous with Italian opera and a dramatic, twisting plot, Rigoletto features dark assassins, a philandering Duke and the self-sacrificing Gilda. This lush production, set in 16th century Mantua, features baritone Michael Corvino as Rigoletto, (Nov 14, 16 & 22) who "brings a robust voice and disarming vulnerability to the role." - (The New York Times) alternating with the astounding Joshua Jeremiah (Nov. 15 & 23) a "husky, deep-voiced baritone singing with flexibility and abandon." - (Washington Post).
Rounding out the cast is Jason Slayden and Anthony Kalil alternating in the role of the Duke of Mantua and Sarah Coburn and Andrea Shokery as the tender Gilda. Fenlon Lamb will direct with conductor Dean Williamson making his Arizona Opera debut.
Performances are November 14 & 15 at 7:30 and November 16 at 2:00 pm at Symphony Hall in Phoenix and November 22 at 7:30 and November 23 at 2:00 pm in the Tucson Music Hall. All performances are sung in Italian with English supertitles. Pre-performance lecture begins 1 hour prior to curtain time. Students can purchase $20 rush tickets one hour before curtain, best available seats in house (Limit 2).
Tickets for Rigoletto start at $25, and are available at www.azopera.org or by calling 602.266.7464 (Phoenix) or 520.293.4336 (Tucson). Tickets are also on sale at the Arizona Opera Center Box Office at 1636 N. Central Ave, Monday through Friday from 8:30am to 5:00pm.
Rigoletto
Music by Giuseppe Verdi
Libretto by Francesco Maria Piave
Phoenix Performances
November 14 & 15 at 7:30pm
November 16 at 2:00pm
Symphony Hall
75 N. 2nd St., Phoenix AZ 85004
Tickets: $25-$135 at www.azopera.org
Tucson Performances
November 22 at 7:30pm
November 23 at 2:00pm
Tucson Music Hall
260 S. Church St., Tucson AZ 85701
Tickets: $25-$120 at www.azopera.org
Rigoletto Special Events
Arizona Opera offers several community events in anticipation of the performances.
Phoenix
Operatif
November 7
7:00pm
Tickets: $25
Enjoy a glass of wine with General Director Ryan Taylor and look behind the scenes of the opera.
Arizona Opera Center, 1636 N. Central Ave. Phoenix AZ 85004
Rigoletto Student Night
November 13
Lecture begins at 6:00pm
Performance begins at 7:00pm
Phoenix Symphony Hall, 75 N. 2nd St, Phoenix AZ 85004
A limited number of tickets for Student Night in Phoenix are available to schools and community groups. Click here for criteria and ticket reservation information.
Tucson
Say Hello to Opera
November 12
Free performance and introduction to opera open to the community
3:00pm
Oro Valley Library, 1305 W. Naranja Ave, Oro Valley
RSVP 520-594-5580
Brown Bag Opera
November 14
Free performance open to the community
12:00pm (noon)
Grace St. Paul Episcopal Church, at 12:00 noon.
2331 E. Adams Street, Tucson
RSVP 520-327-6857
About Arizona Opera
Arizona Opera, now in its 44th season, is our state's only professional opera company that produces fully-staged opera performances, concerts, in-school touring productions, educational and outreach programs that reach over 70,000 school-children and adults annually. Since its inception, Arizona Opera has produced over 180 fully-staged operas and concerts. The company's artistic history is rich with a blend of opera's traditional repertoire featuring baroque, bel canto, and verismo works, turn-of-the-century masterpieces, operettas, and American operas. Arizona Opera has also presented Wagner's complete Ring Cycle twice, a feat that has been accomplished in North America by only five other companies. Founded in 1971, Arizona Opera is among only a handful of companies in the United States that regularly performs in more than one city.