Rigoletto
Rigoletto
Rigoletto
Power gets the last laugh.
Verdi’s most famous opera returns, with Oliver Mears’ darkly elegant production. Acclaimed Verdi specialist Mark Elder conducts.
Verdi’s most famous opera returns, with Oliver Mears’ darkly elegant production. Acclaimed Verdi specialist Mark Elder conducts.
Royal Ballet and Opera Principal Julia Rausing Trust
Royal Ballet and Opera Friends
Story
The Duke of Mantua is a serial womaniser. At a palace party, not content with the married Countess Ceprano, the Duke reveals he is also infatuated with a mysterious woman he has seen in church. The hunchbacked jester Rigoletto jokes that the Duke should have the Countess’s husband murdered. Count Ceprano vows to kidnap Rigoletto’s lover as punishment. Chaos descends when the elderly Count Monterone arrives and confronts the Duke for seducing his daughter: a third conquest. Rigoletto takes his jesting too far, and the old man curses him and his fellow courtiers.
Rigoletto’s so-called ‘lover’ is in fact his daughter, Gilda, whom he keeps under lock and key at home. She has secretly fallen in love with the Duke of Mantua, who came to her church in disguise. Gilda is kidnapped by Count Ceprano and delivered into the Duke’s clutches. Rigoletto engages an assassin to exact his revenge. But before the day is out, the old man’s curse will exert its deadly power.
Background
Rigoletto leads a double life. As jester to the Duke of Mantua, he is a master of cruelty. As father to his daughter, Gilda, his love knows no bounds. Rigoletto has done everything in his power to keep these worlds separate, and his daughter safe. But when the Duke sees something he wants, he gets it. And what the Duke wants, is Gilda.
Rigoletto is Verdi's most famous opera. It features the popular aria, ‘La donna è mobile' (‘Women are fickle’), the Duke's light-hearted song which returns with chilling irony at the end of the opera. By contrast, Gilda’s aria, ‘Caro nome’, is a soaring, fluttering evocation of young love. In Oliver Mears' acclaimed staging, Verdi’s masterpiece is presented as a modern morality play, pitting power against innocence in a world of decadence and corruption. Verdi specialist Mark Elder marks his 50th anniversary as a conductor for The Royal Opera, leading an array of wonderful singers including George Petean and Daniel Luis de Vicente (in his Royal Opera debut) as Rigoletto, Liparit Avetisyan and Iván Ayón Rivas (in his Royal Opera debut) as the Duke, and Aida Garifullina, Rosa Feola and Robyn Allegra Parton as Gilda.
Cast and Creatives
Cast
The cast of this production may vary depending on performance date. Go to cast and dates to see these.
Creatives
Reviews
Access
There is lift access and step-free routes to over 100 seats in the Stalls Circle, Balcony and Amphitheatre. There are 10 steps or fewer to some seats in the Stalls Circle, Balcony, Amphitheatre and the Donald Gordon Grand Tier. All seats in the Orchestra stalls are accessed by 9 steps or more. A handheld bell is rung by Front of House staff to signal guests to take their seats before a performance. The bell is loud and can be startling. The bell is rung approximately ten minutes before the show starts and at each interval.
We have an assistive listening system available to use.
Upcoming accessible performances:
All performances are Audio Described.
There will be an Audio Described performance with a Touch Tour on 8 April 2026. Touch Tours must be booked by contacting boxoffice@roh.org.uk for tickets.
There will be British Sign Language interpreted and Captioned performance on 15 April 2026.
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See our Accessibility page for more information on access at the Royal Opera House.
Costume Appeal
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Help them bring the artistic visions of creative teams to life, all whilst maintaining a strong commitment to sustainabiltiy, by making a donation to our Costume Appeal.
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