The New National Theatre Tokyo is set to present Verdi’s “Rigoletto” starting on May 18, 2023.

The Verdi work will star Roberto Frontali in the title role. Joining him will be soprano Hasmik Torosyan as Gilda; she previously performed Norina in “Don Pasquale” with the company back in 2019. As the Duca di Mantua, audiences will hear tenor Iván Ayón Rivas in his house debut.

Other cast members include Hidekazu Tsumaya, Shingo Sudo, Kasumi Shimizu, Kyoko Moriyama, Takashi Tomokiyo, Tadahiro Masujima, Kenichi Yoshikawa, and Michiko Sato.

Conducting the performance will be Maurizio Benini. The production will be directed by Emilio Sagi, who in an official press statement noted that his major intent behind the opera was to explore the idea of “Intense solitude. I think that the three characters are lonely and obsessed. The events occur in a horribly corrupt environment. The theme behind the Victor Hugo-Verdi story is so intense that I do not want to change anything. I will not change the period the story takes place in. In any case, the audience will not watch a bibliographic staging. The Renaissance costumes, for example, are our own creations. The scenery is not Renaissance. It is updated and minimalist but with a presence of exaggerated ornamentation. This is a medium to convey the corruption that runs through the opera. The decadent environment creates a somewhat ‘Fellinistic’ atmosphere. A visually stunning but somber atmosphere. Rigoletto is a very somber piece.”

The production is set to run through June 3, 2023.