{"id":3110,"date":"2012-09-17T23:01:15","date_gmt":"2012-09-18T06:01:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/forallevents.com\/reviews\/?p=3110"},"modified":"2012-09-18T10:46:35","modified_gmt":"2012-09-18T17:46:35","slug":"rigoletto-in-the-ballpark","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/forallevents.com\/reviews\/rigoletto-in-the-ballpark\/","title":{"rendered":"Rigoletto in the Ballpark"},"content":{"rendered":"

For those of us who are not opera purists, and by the 30,000+ turnout at San Francisco\u2019s ATT+T Park September 16, I suspect there are a whole lot of us, this venue has got to be the best way to enjoy Verdi\u2019s Rigoletto<\/span><\/em>.\u00a0 If you remembered to leave home with enough layers to keep you warm as the evening rolls along, you will find that there are no bad seats.\u00a0 From the lawn (outfield) below to the upper deck, everyone has a good view of a BIG screen with excellent video graphics coupled with distortion-free amplified sound to carry the music to your ears.\u00a0 Before each act a written synopsis appears briefly, to get you oriented to what\u2019s about to happen, and much (not all) of the singing is subtitled.\u00a0 Not that you need to read to enjoy such phenomenal singing, but it helps to keep you oriented to the players and the action onscreen: lust, treachery, tender love, betrayal, murder.<\/p>\n

Such is Rigoletto<\/span><\/em>.\u00a0 The title character (Zeljko\u00a0Lucic) is a jester to the Duke\u2019s court, but he has a serious side, and a secret daughter, and it is on this Gilda (Aleksandra\u00a0Kurzak) whom he dotes, and the depth and breadth of their relationship is the heart of the story.\u00a0 It is in their tender moments together that the real value of this ballpark opera house makes itself known.\u00a0 The big screen focuses on their faces, their eyes and lips, the bond they share, while their voices intertwine in music of marvelous beauty.\u00a0 This passionate actress makes the show, lovely to behold and hear, a perfect match to her burly father\u2019s abiding love.<\/p>\n

The staging is a simple wonder.\u00a0 Vertical panels angling into the distance do multiple duty, serving as the brilliant court or a dark alley or Verona\u2019s empty square during a violent storm, with just a change of light and color.\u00a0 A similarly undecorated room slides into view, and it changes into house, an inn, a bedroom with barred windows, again with just lighting and the most minimal of props.\u00a0 The primary colors used\u2014red, yellow, blue-gray\u2014set the scenes so well that nothing more is needed.<\/p>\n

Altogether, what a show!\u00a0 Here\u2019s how it works.\u00a0 This is a simulcast of the live performance onstage at the SF War Memorial Opera House.\u00a0 At the conclusion of the show, when the cast came on for their (well-deserved) applause, each was bearing or wearing a bit of Giants fan-gear: a big orange We\u2019re Number One, a baseball bat, a black beard\u2014a special nod to those of use in the stands.\u00a0 It\u2019s free, and this night at the opera in the ballpark comes but once a year in the fall, so look for it in 2013 and don\u2019t miss it.\u00a0 Special treat for those coming from Marin:\u00a0 get the special opera ferry at Larkspur, straight to McCovey Cove.\u00a0 But don\u2019t forget to print out your online reservation, or you won\u2019t get home by ferry later that night.<\/p>\n

Review by David Hirzel<\/p>\n

http:\/\/www.davidhirzel.net<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

For those of us who are not opera purists, and by the 30,000+ turnout at San Francisco\u2019s ATT+T Park September 16, I suspect there are a whole lot of us,…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":50,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"yasr_overall_rating":0,"yasr_post_is_review":"","yasr_auto_insert_disabled":"","yasr_review_type":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[80],"tags":[716,100,99],"class_list":{"0":"post-3110","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-david-hirzel","7":"tag-david-hirzel","8":"tag-opera-event-review","9":"tag-rigoletto-at-att-park"},"yasr_visitor_votes":{"stars_attributes":{"read_only":true,"span_bottom":"