Review

Star turn for stand-in in Iford's Rigoletto

IFORD Opera ends its 2010 season with a vigorous and robustly masculine production of Verdi's dark opera Rigoletto, directed by Royal Academy lecturer, writer and director John Ramster.

And, as Iford's creative director Judy Egglington told the audience on the second night, a catastrophe in rehearsal led to a miracle in performance.

The singer scheduled in the role of Gilda, Hungarian soprano Alinka Kozari, snapped her Achilles tendon late in the rehearsal period – an injury too severe to risk performance.

But this year, for the first time, Iford had instigated a covers scheme, in which three young professionals had been shadowing the principals throughout rehearsal and receiving one-to-one vocal training, ready to step in should the occasion arise.

Enter young Irish soprano Colette Boushell, who suddenly found herself catapulted from page to leading lady. And she did it magnificently.

A pure and true voice, excellent acting and a firm technique to rely on ensured that, without the pre-curtain announcement and a different name in the programme, no-one in the audience would have suspected a stand-in.

Bridget Kimak has provided a set that gives a new dimension to the cloister's intimate performance space, particularly effective in the final scenes as Rigoletto and Gilda pace the "gallery" observing the action. Her costumes also punch home the debauchery and duplicity of the Mantuan court.

It all starts in a world where the debauched Duke and his chums have absolute power over women and their jester, the hunchbacked Rigoletto, unwillingly goes along with their sex games. James Fenton's sometimes-confusing English translation is unravelled by excellent direction and design – made all the more menacing in such close proximity.

The bored lordlings decide to continue their abuse of Rigoletto by stealing the woman they believe to be his mistress, but it all goes horribly wrong.

This production overall is as strong and subtle in dramatic acting as it is in singing, and that is high praise.

I've never seen the Sparafucile-Maddalena murder plot brought more convincingly (and terrifyingly) to life than it is by Ronald Nairne and Rachael Lloyd.

Rhys Jenkins gives a heart-wrenching account of the title role. Telman Guzhevsky has just the right arrogant, swaggering charisma as the lascivious Duke.

Colette Boushell brings an ardent youthful innocence to the role of Gilda, a girl experiencing the first rapture of love and unable to quite believe that the recipient of her affections could let her down.

You won't see this story of love and corruption better played out than at Iford 2010.

Oliver Gooch conducts a 13-strong Pepys Ensemble, giving this dramatic score in all its colours in the confines of the cloister.

Performances continue until 7th August. GP-W