
This production is recommended for ages 12+.
Performance dates
25 March - 25 April 2026
Run time: 2hrs 30mins
No interval
Rigoletto, one of Verdi’s most iconic operas, returns in Oliver Mears’ darkly elegant production, led by acclaimed Verdi specialist Mark Elder on the podium. Playing a strictly limited run at the Royal Ballet and Opera, book your official tickets today.
The Duke of Mantua, a notorious womaniser, pursues the married Countess Ceprano while secretly obsessing over a mysterious girl he saw in church. His jester, Rigoletto, mocks the scandal until Count Monterone bursts in, condemning the Duke for seducing his daughter. Rigoletto’s taunts go too far, and Monterone curses him and the entire court.
Rigoletto’s supposed “lover” is actually his sheltered daughter, Gilda, who has already fallen for the Duke in disguise. When she is kidnapped and delivered to the Duke, Rigoletto hires an assassin to take revenge. But Monterone’s curse hangs over them all, driving the story toward its inevitable, devastating end.