The hunchbacked court jester Rigoletto, never at a loss for a joke at the expense of others, is in the service of the Duke of Mantua. His only happiness in life is his daughter Gilda. When Rigoletto witnesses how she succumbs to the unscrupulous Duke's calculated vows of love, he seeks revenge: the contract killer Sparafucile is supposed to kill the seducer. But Gilda sacrifices herself for her lover. Rigoletto realizes that he has driven his daughter to her death and destroyed his own life. Since Rigoletto first entered the opera stage in Venice in 1851, his fate has moved opera audiences. Giuseppe Verdi, however, brought the piece world fame with its melodies that are still omnipresent today - a piece without any heroes: And so Rigoletto, cynic and lovesick father, also joins the wide range of Verdi's characters who are on the fringes of society and those before had no voice in the art of opera. Production: Andreas Homoki Set design and costumes: Wolfgang Gussmann Light: Manfred Voss