‘Rigoletto’ reworked

Young Chang

The chorus opens Act One doing the twist, street scenes reek with

Hitchcock overtones, and Act Three takes place partly in a red-light

district, muggy and foggy like something out of Tennessee Williams’ “Cat

on a Hot Tin Roof.”

The Duke of Mantua, a character originally set in the 15th century,

climbs up drain pipes instead of archaic towers.

And Rigoletto, the tragically cursed hunchback with a bitter tongue,

is a paid entertainer instead of a court jester.

But even the conservatives in Australia, where Elijah Moshinsky’s

modern staging of Giuseppe Verdi’s “Rigoletto” was first presented,

enjoyed riding this theatrical time warp.

The opera’s success there signaled the obvious, said actor and tenor

Andrew Richards: “A timeless tale is just that.”

Set in the late 1950s and ‘60s, Moshinsky’s “Rigoletto” will be staged

at the Orange County Performing Arts Center on Tuesday through Nov. 11 as

part of Opera Pacific’s contribution to the Eclectic Orange Festival.

First performed in 1851 in Venice, the Verdi opera tells the story of

a father’s love for his daughter and the extent to which he’ll go to

protect her. Rigoletto is the hunchbacked father who has a rare soft spot

for his daughter. The duke is a lascivious womanizer who falls in love

with Rigoletto’s daughter, and the daughter -- Gilda -- later makes the

ultimate sacrifice for a man she knows she shouldn’t love but does

anyway.

The show is pillared with universal, timeless themes and universal,

timeless characters, cast members say.

Julie Edwardson, a stage director who makes her Opera Pacific debut

with “Rigoletto,” says the modern setting is barely even noticeable

against the timelessness of the story.

Inspired by films of the late ‘50s and ‘60s, particularly by the work

of Italian director Federico Fellini, Edwardson describes “Rigoletto” as

having a sort of cinematic realism. A revolving set capable of showing

multiple scenes at once -- on multiple tiers at that -- provides a

cinematic show. Curtains open in sleek, black halves resembling the

irises of an opening camera. A street scene shows the back of a ‘50s car

in the corner. Rigoletto’s daughter wears little-girl dresses and bobby

socks.

“It almost has a period look about it,” Edwardson said.

As for the characters, Rigoletto is deformed as he has traditionally

been, but Moshinsky also gave him a bad leg.

“It gives him a much more physically handicapped look,” Edwardson

said. “Gives him an insect look, like a bitter, twisted, paranoid

person.”

The duke, portrayed by Richards, is almost easier to understand in the

context of the ‘50s.

“In the middle of the sexual revolution. . . . there is no subtlety to

his depravity,” said the Staten Island actor. “He’s out for his own

pleasure.”

Richards added that the greatest challenge in portraying the duke was

making the immoral character likable. More than just someone to dismiss

as bad.

“To bring across that he’s an incredibly charming person, you have to

throw yourself into your character’s shortcomings.”

Richards admits there’s a little bit of the duke in him, in probably

every man. And as a father, he relates with Rigoletto’s protective

nature.

“Having two young daughters, I know what that’s like,” Richards said.

FYI

* WHAT: “Rigoletto”

* WHEN: 7:30 p.m. Tuesday through Nov. 10 and 2 p.m. Nov. 11

* WHERE: Orange County Performing Arts Center, 600 Town Center Drive,

Costa Mesa

* COST: $25-$175

* CALL: (714) 740-7878