Read review by John Billington
What a disappointment! Anthony Micheals-Moore's Rigoletto was splendid, Gilda had some good moments, Freddie Tong and Matthew Best had power and presence but that's about it. Michael Fabiano as the Duke had the sexual chemistry of a leaky Wellington boot and as for the chorus - as menacing as soft toy. It was the really poor directing that hurt most - I had expected Miller to at least get his singers to act. The chorus was 'never mind the quality - feel the width' with any pretence at tension coming from the stage being overcrowded. They had no focus and no strength. Huh! I got the feeling that this was just one for the mortgage. There were so many schoolboy errors in staging that it beggars belief. Whenever a director gets characters to perform away from the audience for no valid reason it's a sure sign he's run out of ideas. And please sing it in Italian with English surtitles. This is probably the last time I book on eno publicity. In future I'll wait until I can check on the quality by reading reviews.
Read review by Ghie
I enjoyed the Rigoletto very much, a wonderful production, thanks to the singer who rescued the performance, but he wasn't the best Rigoletto I've ever heard to say the least. The duke was a real star to my taste and the Gilda was OK.
Read review by Viv Edwards
We took our two sons to the first night of Rigoletto, their first experience of a serious opera. My wife and I saw the original production in 1982, and three revivals, and loved it them all. All four of us were overwhelmed by the power and drama of the production, which was as fresh and passionate as ever. This cast however, was the most believable of all. Young, convincing singers whose acting was as superb as their singing. The Act 2 duet between Rigoletto and Gilda, which had been a low point in the past, was so convincing and sung with an achingly beautiful intensity.
The journey home was full of discussions, usually starting with "I loved that bit when.......". But the lasting impression, above everything else, is the power of Verdi's music which just tears you apart.
Thank you Verdi, thank y ou Mr Miller, and thank you ENO. You have two new converts to grand opera.
Read review by David Cordingley
Rigoletto on 21 September was as good as I had hoped. The big question was would the new Rigoletto be able to hold up against John Rawlinson's who was in all the previous J Miller productions. Answer - yes he could though the deep and chilling tone of Rawlinson's "The old man laid a curse on me" was different. All the principals were great and I particularly liked the scene with Gilda and Rigoletto outside the house. "Tender as a flower" was beautifully emotional. Wonderful to see the great Jonathon take a bow. I remember seeing him in the car park after the first performance I saw (was it 1981?) and a few years later when he came and sat beside me in the Upper Circle just after the show began. I have regretted not telling him how his production turned me into an opera lover. The juke box has never b een done as well as in the first production though hitting the side was a good joke.
