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Based on Victor Hugo's famous play The King is Amusing, Rigoletto helped make Verdi an operatic icon. The Met hosts a new production of this ruthless tragedy, set in a hushed, Art Deco Europe of the 1920s, with baritone Quinn Kelsey leading the cast in the commanding title role.

The Story
At a costume ball, the jester Rigoletto humiliates guests who are victims of the shameless seducer Duke of Mantua. To make him pay for his mockery, Rigoletto's enemies set out to capture his daughter Gilda, whom they believe to be his mistress. When the jester realizes that he has been the target of an evil trick, he decides to take revenge with the help of the brigand Sparafucile.

This masterpiece of dazzling vocal fireworks makes a rare Met appearance—its first in nearly 25 years—with Maurizio Benini on the podium. The all-star bel canto cast features Angela Meade in the title role of the murderous Queen of Babylon, who squares off in breathtaking duets with Arsace, a trouser role sung by Elizabeth DeShong. Javier Camarena, Ildar Abdrazakov, and Ryan Speedo Green complete the stellar cast.

'Glorious,' raved the New York Times when Joyce DiDonato sang the title role of Cendrillon at the Royal Opera in 2011. 'Her performance was thoroughly enchanting.'