Edyta Kulczak in Metropolitan premier of Rigoletto Jan 21, 2017

photo Karen Almond

Since its debut in 2013, Michael Mayer’s Vegas-strip take on Rigoletto has been perhaps the most talked-about production in the Metropolitan Opera’s repertoire. With its topless pole-dance, flashing neon, and lines of cocaine, it is more than anything a send-up of Verdi and Piave’s classic tragedy. On some nights, the gentle parody is quite effective, offering a self-effacing interpretation that softly teases the piece’s flirtation with melodrama, winking at the audience but still retaining enough respect for the work to convey its emotional elements honestly.

And for the second night in a row, the Met got a fine pinch-hit appearance, as
Edyta Kulczak combined playful camaraderie and motherly warmth…

– Eric Simpson Jan 21, 2017

Read rest of review HERE

Westbeth’s programming is made possible by the National Endowment for the Arts and the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State. Westbeth is supported in part by an American Rescue Plan Act grant from the National Endowment for the Arts to support general operating expenses in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.