Lyric Opera Of Kansas City's RIGOLETTO Opens 3/3 at Kauffman Center

Lyric Opera of Kansas City continues its 60th season with the Italian classic Rigoletto, with music by Giuseppe Verdi and libretto by Francesco Maria Piave. Performances are March 3, 7, 9 and 11 at the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts. The production will be sung in Italian with English titles.

Lyric Opera of Kansas City returns to its Italian roots to revel in the gritty realism of Verdi's dark Rigoletto, directed by David Gately and featuring major Lyric Opera debuts of Leo An as Rigoletto, Nicole Haslett as Gilda, and Peixin Chen as Sparafucile. Returns to Lyric Opera include Scott Quinn (Lyric Opera's La traviata in 2014) as Duke of Mantua, Zanda Šv?de (title role in Lyric Opera's Carmen in 2016) as Maddalena, and Andrew Gangestad (Lyric Opera's The Magic Flute in 2013) as Count Monterone. Its highly recognizable melodies and often intimate tunes offer the small comfort of familiarity as the characters careen toward their intense and famously tragic end. Returning to Lyric Opera, David Charles Abell will conduct the Kansas City Symphony Orchestra.

The stellar principal cast is supplemented by all four singers in the 2017-18 class of Lyric Opera's Resident Artist program, including winners from the Kansas City District Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions in January 2018. Gaining important stage experience are soprano Marlen Nahhas as a Page, mezzo-soprano Lauren Auge as Countess Ceprano, baritone Tim Murray as Marullo, and tenor Martin Luther Clark as Matteo Borsa. Apprentice Artists Alice Chung and Armando Contreras are also cast as Giovanna and an Usher, respectively.

Using Victor Hugo's play Le roi s'amuse as his source, and a real French king as the villain, Verdi's first version of the opera didn't get past the censors; they took exception to the portrayal of an evil monarch, whose bad acts were not punished. Verdi fought the censors and almost gave up on the project, but eventually moved the action to Mantua and changed the king to a duke, satisfying the censors.

Rigoletto was a huge success for Verdi, due in no small part to the showstoppers "La donna è mobile," "Questa o quella," "Caro nome," and the famous quartet in Act III. Two of those big arias (and arguably the most famous one) were given to the villain, the Duke of Mantua.

The catchy melody of "La donna è mobile" has been used in dozens of commercial messages worldwide, to sell everything from tomato paste and cookies to men's body spray and Italian travel packages. Groupon used it most recently - changing the text - to sell coupons for "things you do every day."

Explore the Score

Thursday, Feb. 15 7 p.m.

Join conductor David Charles Abell (Silent Night 2015, Carmen 2016) and stage director David Gately (La Traviata 2014) for a personal introduction to the music and characters of this Verdi masterpiece at the Michael & Ginger Frost Production Arts Building, 712 E 18th St., Kansas City, MO 64108. FREE Event, RSVP required at https://kcopera.org/programs/community/rigoletto-community-events/ or by phone at (816) 471-7344.

First Friday, March 2, from 5 to 8 p.m. Presented by Lyric Opera of Kansas City and Young Friends of the Lyric at the Beth Ingram Administration Building (1725 Holmes, KCMO). The theme for March is "Twisted Love," and the event features the Resident Artists in selections from Rigoletto, refreshments (including "Love-Drunk Punch"), and a quiz themed "Fifty Shades of La donna è mobile." More information available here.

Rigoletto "At Ease with Opera" Presentations:

Monday, February 12 at 7:00 p.m. at the Kauffman Foundation (4801 Rockhill Road, KCMO 64110). Free to the public. #METOO AND RIGOLETTO. The opera Rigoletto is about one of the master sexual manipulators of all time and his innocent victim. Does this remind you of recent headlines? We are putting together a panel to discuss the way that this 19th-century opera foreshadows developments in our own day.

Tuesday, February 20 at 7:00 p.m. at the Kauffman Foundation (4801 Rockhill Road, KCMO 64110). Free to the public. Verdi: The Galley Years. Prior to composing Rigoletto, Giuseppe Verdi spent many years writing early works, slowly honing his craft. He later called these his "galley years," and opera aficionados Bob Wise and Don Dagenais will explore them, complete with video and audio excerpts.

Monday, February 26 at 7:00 p.m. at the Kauffman Foundation (4801 Rockhill Road, KCMO 64110). Free to the public. Rigoletto: Where Verdi Hits His Stride. Join us as we explore the revolution in operatic composition that Giuseppe Verdi wrought with Rigoletto. We will discuss the compositional background, history, plot and music of one of Verdi's greatest masterpieces. This program is designed for the novice and experienced opera-goer alike. Don Dagenais is the speaker.

Ticket availability varies by performance. To purchase tickets, call Ticketing & Patron Services (816) 471-7344. Patrons can select their own seats and print their tickets at home by visiting www.kcopera.org. Limited student rush tickets are available 90 minutes before performances for $15, with a valid student ID.

Young Friends of the Lyric

Young Friends of The Lyric provides an exciting outlet for young arts supporters (ages 21 and up) in Kansas City to get involved in the community, meet other young professionals and support Lyric Opera of Kansas City. Membership benefits include complimentary beverages at Lyric Opera performances, networking opportunities, restaurant discounts, invitations to special events and more.

Young Friends of the Lyric membership is $40, and includes benefits for two for a full 12 months. To join, visit www.kcopera.org/yfl or contact Ticketing & Patron Services at 816-471-7344. Become a fan on Facebook @YoungFriendsLyric to keep up with current events.

About the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts

The Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts is a major center for music, opera, theater, and dance designed by Moshe Safdie, and opened September 2011. The Kauffman Center presents vibrant performances and advances the role of the performing arts as a catalyst for Kansas City's civic, economic, and educational vitality.

Three of the region's leading performing arts organizations-Kansas City Ballet, Kansas City Symphony, and Lyric Opera of Kansas City-are in residence at the Kauffman Center. The Kauffman Center's two performance venues, the 1,800-seat Muriel Kauffman Theatre and the 1,600-seat Helzberg Hall, offer audiences engaging and intimate experiences, while at the same time providing resident companies with dramatically enhanced performance capabilities.

Serving as a cultural cornerstone for Kansas City's dynamic downtown, the Kauffman Center brings a new spotlight to the region's performing arts community while simultaneously attracting some of the world's most talented performers and entertainers, further establishing Kansas City as a major cultural destination.

More information on the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts is available at www.kauffmancenter.org.

The Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts is fully accessible and provides assistive listening devices plus Braille and large print programs. Service animals are welcome with advance notice. All dates, operas and artists are subject to change.

Visit www.kcopera.org for more information about Lyric Opera of Kansas City 2017-18 season and www.kauffmancenter.org for a downloadable media kit about the Kauffman Center.

To post a comment, you must register and login.