A LAVISH production of Verdi's operatic masterpiece Rigoletto will grace the stage at the Alexandra Theatre in Birmingham on Sunday.

The stunning performance will feature Isla - a golden eagle with a seven foot wingspan.

Based on the play by Victor Hugo, who wrote Les Miserables, Rigoletto is a tale of a dissolate Duke and a jester whose overwhelming love for his daughter leads to tragedy.

Highlights of the opera include tenor arias La Donna Mobile and Questa o Quella.

And the production, which had a critically acclaimed visit to the Royal Albert Hall in 2003, offers some of the world's leading lights such as sopranos Irina Vinogradova and Rosa Lee Thomas.

Tickets are available from the box office on 0870 607 7544.