When Femi Elufowoju jr’s reworking of Verdi’s 1851 opera premiered in 2022 it won over audiences and critics alike with its ability to capture opera’s timeless human drama in a way that feels vital and relevant to today.
In the programme notes, speaking about reviving his production for Opera North’s 2026 Autumn season Elufowoju jr says: ‘Revisiting the themes of power, wealth, toxic misogyny, abuse and corruption, I can honestly say that these concerns have, if anything become even more pertinent during the intervening period.”
These themes are powerfully drawn to the fore in this current staging. The connections to Modern Britain through the lens of race, identity and exclusion add a further layer of recognition and complexity for the audience.
Here Rigoletto, traditionally a hunchbacked jester of the court, is reinterpreted as a black man whose impairment is his mental paranoia heightened by a curse rather than any physical disability.
Baritone Blake Denson is a powerful presence and voice as Rigoletto. Given his strong physicality, Rigoletto’s helplessness in protecting his daughter from the womanising Duke presents an even starker reality of their inequality.
In the light of the recent Russell Brand trial the hedonistic opening scenes are genuinely sickening. You can understand why Count Monterone (Sir Williard White) is so enraged at his daughter being molested by the Duke that he places a curse on Rigoletto who mocks his fury.
Mexican tenor Leonardo Sánchez as the debauched Duke revels in the role of the charming scoundrel, whose outrageous behaviour all, even Rigoletto at the start, are happy to encourage if it means that they get a seat at his extravagant feast.
Verdi writes all the best songs for him too, and Sánchez has the vocal strength to carry them. His ‘La donna è mobile’ is an enchanting mix of passion and humour. Who wouldn’t fall for a voice like that?
The vibrancy of Rae Smith’s striking set and costume design draws us into this world of madness and excess with cinematic effect. And while the Duke may appear to get the last laugh for now, the imposing final appearance of Count Monterone and recent real-world events leave us wondering for how long.
Verdi’s Rigoletto by Opera North is at Lowry Salford on Thursday 12 and Saturday 14 November 2026.