Verdi's tragedy Rigoletto, being presented by Opera in the Heights, is filled with contrary characters. There's the Duke. An indulgent tyrant, he beds women -- from young, innocent virgins to manipulating women of the court -- as casual entertainment. (The role of the Duke is shared by Dane Suarez and Bernard Holcomb.)
There's the title character, Rigoletto. He's an ugly, hunchbacked court jester who mocks the put-upon husbands who have to stand by and watch as the Duke openly seduces their wives. (Octavio Moreno and Daniel Scofield share the role of Rigoletto.)
There's Gilda, Rigoletto's daughter (played by soprano Erin Kenneavy). Shut away by her father in an effort to protect her from the Duke, Gilda falls in love with a man she sees in church. The man is, of course, the rakish Duke.
The three are on a collision course that will leave one of them dead and one of them brokenhearted. And honestly, we're at a loss as to who to root for.
"That's half the fun - who do I root for? And why am rooting for them?" Kenneavy laughingly tells us.
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