Last night’s opening performance opened the Vancouver Opera 2025-2026 season with Verdi’s Rigoletto. A standing ovation was the result of an exhilarating performance by the cast of Vancouer Opera’s singers. Set against a backdrop of decadence and dark intrigue, Verdi’s immortal work tells the tale of a father’s desperate love for his daughter—and the dangerous double-edged sword of vengeance.
The court jester Rigoletto had long enjoyed the privilege of mocking the Duke of Mantua’s adversaries, but when his beloved daughter becomes the target of the morally corrupt Duke’s abuse, Rigoletto sets in motion a revenge plot that careens with the propulsive energy of an edge-of-the-seat thriller, while bringing themes of opulence and oppression into sharp focus.
Built in partnership with Pacific Opera Victoria, this new production will push the tense tragedy’s boundaries while staying true to Verdi’s timeless story of love and revenge. Under director Glynis Leyshon (Flight of the Hummingbird) and the baton of VO Music Director Jacques Lacombe (Die Fledermaus, Madama Butterfly), unforgettable pieces like “La donna è mobile” and the heart-wrenching “Caro nome” will soar to life on the stage of the Queen Elizabeth Theatre.
Two performances remain on October 30 and November 2.
