Conducted by David Roblou City Hall Theatre February 23, 25, 27 and 28 at 8 pm.

Victor Hugo wrote the novel on which the musical `Les Miserables' is based. He also wrote the play `Le Roi s`amuse' on which `Rigoletto' is based.

Both texts explore themes of great drama and passion. `Les Miserables' will probably prove to be one of the most popular musicals ever written.

`Rigoletto,' with its rich tapestry of glorious and familiar melodies, has already proven to be one of the greatest operas ever written.

As had happened in France when the Hugo play was performed, trouble arose in Italy as Verdi's masterpiece evolved. With its passionate themes of seduction, betrayal and murder, `Rigoletto' did not appeal to those keepers of the moral high ground -- the censors -- or to an increasingly nervous European aristocracy whose exploitation of a less compliant underclass did not bear up to close scrutiny.

Verdi however, was so convinced of the dramatic worth of Hugo's tale that he refused to abandon it. Through a clever bit of manoeuvering involving the transfer of the action from Paris to Mantua and changing the names of the cast, the opera was completed and opened to immediate acclaim at The Teatro La Fenice in Venice in March, 1851.

The opera was originally to have been named `La Maledizione' (The Curse). The action revolves round the jester, Rigoletto, and his profligate master, the Duke of Mantua.

When an agitated courtier, the elderly Count of Monterone appears demanding justice for his daughter, who has been seduced by the Duke, Rigoletto mocks the distraught father. Monterone is dragged off having vowed to bring a curse down on both the Duke and jester.

Rigoletto, with his razor tongue and vicious wit, is much hated. It appears that he lives with a lovely young woman, assumed by all to be his mistress.

The girl is in fact his fiercely protected and motherless daughter, Gilda.

Gilda is abducted, delivered to the Duke and like so many before her, seduced and subsequently abandoned. Rigoletto, hunchback and social pariah, vows vengeance.

Mad with grief he hires an assassin to kill the Duke. Gilda overhearing the plot, and despite all, in love with Mantua, decides to thwart her father's plan. By devious intrigue the murder is accomplished, and the body delivered to Rigoletto in a sack.

When the gloating jester opens the sack he discoveres to his horror the body of his daughter. The opera ends with Rigoletto's great feral cry "Monterone's curse is complete.'' All heady stuff of course, and at Monday's performance in City Hall, brought convincingly to life by the fine cast of the Midsummer Opera Company accompanied by a small but effective orchestra and conducted with great expertise by David Roblou. As travelling grand opera, the production had to be scaled down somewhat, but nothing could detract from the excellence of the performers.

Giselle Minns, as Gilda, was particularly appealing both as a singer and as an actress. Young and vulnerable, her `Caro nome' (Beloved name) in Act 1 was luminous. Paul Badley from his opening `Questa o quella,' in which he describes his philandering attitude to life, gave a good account of the shallow womanising Duke of Mantua, with Rigoletto powerfully sung by Keel Watson, his dramatic foil.

In some of the supporting roles there were admirable performances, particularly from Martin Nelson, a defiant Count Monterone who leaves Rigoletto cringing under his menace as he inflicts the curse.

William Allenby as Marullo, David Skewes as Borsa, Leon Berger as Count Ceprano and Mark Hathaway as a Courtier found themselves very busy vocally, and in the absence of a male chorus, worked effectively throughout the evening to fill the stage. The same could not be said for the absence of ladies where headless mannequins had to suffice.

The set was simple and multi-purpose, serving as the Duke's palace, Rigoletto's house and Sparafucile's tavern. It was stark but functional. Less impressive was the odd assortment of costume.

This ranged from Alice Privett's elaborate velvet Page to a very understated Lorelle Skewes, doubling as the Countess Ceprano and Giovanna and from there to a plethora of ill-disguised denim jeans worn by the men, and in the last act alarmingly by Gilda.

However, grand opera in Bermuda is a great leap of faith. Opera of a any kind is the most expensive musical art form and, given the constraints of budget, a miracle that it can happen at all. Sparing though the production itself was, the vocal delights of the evening were many.

In Act 2 particularly, the cast seemed to gain stature. Here we enjoyed Paul Badley's `Parmi verde le lagrime' as he broods over Gilda's disappearance, the vibrant ensemble of courtiers describing the abduction of Gilda in `Scorrendo uniti remota via', and the final fiery duo with Rigoletto and Gilda `Ah si vendetta' which promises retribution.

Act 3 has some of the most powerful sequences in all opera, and with it at Monday night's performance came some of the most superb ensemble.

Here Gilda is taken by her father to the inn of Sparafucile to witness the Duke's assignation with the assassin's sister, Maddalena, finely portrayed by Jenny Miller.

Despite the fact Gilda hears the Duke singing of the fickleness of women in the famous aria `La Donna e mobile' and sees his advances to Maddalena, she still loves him. Knowing her father has planned his murder, she resolves to die in his place.

The immortal quartet which follows `Bella figlia dell'amore,' sung by Minns, Miller, Badley and Watson was one of the highlights of the evening, as was Rigoletto's poignant farewell to the dying Gilda.

Sung in English, this was a powerful and moving musical experience.

Congratulations to all the cast and to musical director David Roblou and the orchestra. For all those in Bermuda who enjoy fine singing, this is not to be missed.

Marjorie Pettit