Society’s idea of what constitutes scandalous entertainment has changed drastically in 152 years. In 1851, it was Italian composer Guiseppe Verdi’s opera, “Rigoletto.”

“Rigoletto” opened in March of 1851 to scandal and censorship in Venice. Opera Verdi Europa will present the controversial opera at Stephens Auditorium Friday.

Opera Verdi Europa is a traveling company established in 1996 in Bulgaria by Ivan Kyurkchiev, the company’s artistic director. Since its inception seven years ago, the company has toured consistently throughout Europe.

On Sept. 26 the company performed “Rigoletto” for the first time in the United States in Escondido, Calif. This show began a three-month tour of the nation, which ends Nov. 18 in Atlanta, Ga. There are already plans to return for a longer U.S. tour in the spring 2005.

Elitsa Pavlova, administrative manager, remembers how the tour came to be.

“Columbia Artists Management from New York City saw the company perform ‘Rigoletto’ in Lucia,” Pavlova says. “They liked it — ‘Rigoletto’ is one of the best productions of ours.”

Pavlova says the reason they are performing the opera on their U.S. tour is because it is one of Verdi’s most famous works.

“It gives opera a great name, and audiences will recognize many of the melodies,” Pavlova says. “The music is very dramatically appropriate.”

“Rigoletto” is organized into three acts. It will be sung in Italian with English supertitles — the operatic version of movie subtitles — across the top of the stage.

Verdi modeled the story line around “Le Roi s’amuse (The Amusing King),” a short story written by Victor Hugo in 1832.

“The plot of the opera is swift and decisive,” Pavlova says.

The story centers on Rigoletto, the Duke’s jester. The Duke of Mantua, a libertine, becomes enamored with Rigoletto’s beautiful daughter Gilda. Rigoletto hires a man to kill the duke after he deflowers his daughter. The night of the intended murder, there is a storm. Through confusion, the daughter ends up dead instead of the duke.

The opera ends with Rigoletto holding his dying daughter, while he hears the duke singing in the distance.

“It is a story of twisted revenge,” Pavlova says.

The king from Hugo’s original story had to be changed to a duke for the opera because the censors wouldn’t allow the king to be portrayed as a cynical libertine. Even the original title had to be changed from “La Maledizione (The Curse)” to “Rigoletto,” again because of the censors. Verdi wrote “Rigoletto” once he had achieved international fame.

Opera Verdi Europa travels with 100 performers, including a 43-person orchestra. So far, traveling with such a large group hasn’t been a problem, Pavlova says.

“Columbia Artists have managed things well,” Pavlova says. “The tour is going really good.”

Pavlova has been with the company since the beginning.

“I used to work in the state opera house,” Pavlova says. “Kyurkchiev invited me to become a part of the company back when he first established it.”

Over the years, there have been a few changes, but Pavlova says for the most part, the company has consisted of the same people for the past seven years.

When new members are needed, they are selected with extreme strictness.

“Members of the orchestra and choir are carefully selected from Bulgaria’s finest,” Pavlova says.

Opera Verdi Europa has performed on nearly all of the major stages in Europe and is excited to explore new venues.

“The company is very pleased to perform here on their first appearance in the American market,” Pavlova says.

“Rigoletto is a beautiful and tragic opera of modern times.”

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What: “Rigoletto”

Where: Stephens Auditorium

When: 7:30 p.m.Friday

Cost: $16.50—$20.50 students $31.50—$39.50 public