that you are going to throw up. ( laughs ) >> gilda to stage right, please. ms.o to the pit, please. maestro to the orchestra pit, please. >> simon: giuseppe verdi set his tale of debauchery, lust, and vengeance in a corrupt court in 16th-century italy. this one plays out in its modern equivalent: las vegas in the 1960s. ♪ the heartthrob, the duke, is now a big shot singer and casino owner with an eye for the ladies. ♪ the met provides subtitles for its hd broadcasts, and those have been revamped too. ♪ >> take it easy, fella. >> simon: it's a big role of the dice for peter gelb. will the old guard be ready for show girls, a pole dancer, even a sharp-dressed hit man? his name is sparafucile, one of the longest names in opera. ♪ >> simon: when you decided to put on "rigoletto," in las vegas, what worried you the most? >> gelb: that i was heading for a disaster, but it's a risk worth taking. >> simon: the risk of doing nothing is the greatest risk of all. in the last act the mood changes. rigoletto will not have a happy ending. very few operas do. >> damrau: let's