There are nights at the opera, and then there are nights at the opera. The kind that rattle the rafters, make your chest vibrate, and leave you stunned in your seat long after the final curtain drops. That’s what’s happening right now at LA Opera with Verdi’s Rigoletto, and critics, audiences, and veteran opera-goers are calling it the performance of a generation.
At the center of this whirlwind is baritone Quinn Kelsey, whose portrayal of Rigoletto is being hailed as revelatory. Los Angeles Times called the production “gripping… as good as it gets,” while San Francisco Classical Voice declared Kelsey “one of the greatest singers to take on the role.” If you know opera, you know that’s not hyperbole. This is the real deal.
Verdi with Teeth
Set not in Renaissance Italy but during the shadowy opulence of Mussolini’s regime, director Tomer Zvulun takes Verdi’s timeless tragedy and dials up the danger. The decadence is polished to a high shine, but the moral rot runs deep. The Duke of Mantua, played with disturbing charm by René Barbera, is a predator cloaked in charisma. His obsession with Gilda—Rigoletto’s daughter, sung alternately by Lisette Oropesa and Kathryn Lewek—sets the tragic machinery in motion.
The story is brutal. The music is unforgettable. And under the baton of James Conlon, the LA Opera Orchestra doesn’t just accompany—it detonates.
Run, Don’t Walk: Only Five Shows Left
Clocking in at 2 hours and 35 minutes (with one intermission), this Rigoletto is fast, ferocious, and steeped in atmosphere. Think velvet shadows, power plays, and the kind of heartbreak you can hear in a single note. With only five performances remaining, now is the time to witness Kelsey’s seismic performance live.
Staged as a co-production with Houston Grand Opera, Dallas Opera, and Atlanta Opera, the production boasts visual storytelling that’s just as sharp as its voices. Trigger warning: this production contains sexual content, depictions of violence, strobe lighting, and gunshot effects. It doesn’t flinch—and neither should you.
A Legacy in Motion
With support from Andrea and Janie Pessino, the Tarasenka Pankiv Fund, and numerous cultural patrons, this staging of Rigoletto stands as a reminder of what grand opera can be when all cylinders are firing. It honors tradition without being chained to it, and offers modern audiences something deeper than spectacle: emotional resonance and raw power.
Quinn Kelsey doesn’t just sing Rigoletto—he inhabits him. And that kind of performance doesn’t come around often.
Reserve your seats now at LAOpera.org
Address: Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, 135 N. Grand Ave., Los Angeles,
Hours: Times vary, check schedules
Photo credits: Photos courtesy of LA Opera
