We were going to make a snarky comment about the crimson theme of the set: it is the only color, the rest is black and white; and the interiors are only red: walls, furnitures, stairs, all in the same uniform color. Rigoletto sings "Do I foretell disaster?" before rushing inside the house, and he might as well be talking about interior design and feng shui. However, that the set replies in such an obvious manner to the question Rigoletto asks should not be construed as anything negative: Verdi's score does as well. The first ominous chord of the overture tells you right away that there won’t be a happy ending, and that chord is right back when he asks.

Praise for Paolo Gavanelli and Mary Dunleavy, pictured above courtesy of Terrence McCarthy/SF Opera, after the jump.