Verdi’s propulsive tragedy of toxic masculinity and unfettered power unfolds at breakneck speed, as Rigoletto, the jester, attempts to shield his daughter, Gilda, from the court of Mantua and a Duke whose greed for pleasure knows no bounds. Cloistered from the city, Gilda falls in love with a young student, unaware that he is the Duke in disguise. A brilliant score contrasts carefree songs of seduction (‘La donna è mobile’) with a gathering storm of natural and human malevolence.