Gilda, with an Olive
Sophie Zmorrod
In the final act of Giuseppe Verdi’s acclaimed opera Rigoletto, Gilda waits inside of a body bag onstage for her cue to die. She has some time to think about her life choices.
Written and Performed by Sophie Zmorrod
Directed by Maggie Lee
Produced by Kunal Kamath
Image Design by Ellen Carpenter
Find them: @gildawithanolive
Special Thanks: Rachel Christopher, Charlie Thurston, Nic Adams, Lauren Delafuente, Mia Perez, Drew Johnston, Mark Brathwaite
While waiting inside of a body bag onstage for her cue to die, Gilda has some time to think about her life choices: namely, why she just sacrificed herself for the dickwad Duke who stole her heart (and also kidnapped her and held her hostage- it’s casual). While the relentless canonical event of her sacrifice persists each night, she turns to the music, her audience, and extremely dirty martinis for answers, comfort, and perhaps even, liberation.
Content warnings: This show contains violence against women.