Verdi’s “Rigoletto,” performed by the Washington National Opera, March 29 through April 13, Kennedy Center Opera House.

Why am I not recommending the opening of the Nationals’ new stadium Sunday night, you ask? Isn’t it a no-brainer? Yeah it is, if you already have a ticket. There will be scalping, for sure, but then we’re talking uncharted territory here. What parking and everything else will be like is anyone’s guess right now. Then, it’s going to be a night game, and temperatures will drop well into the 40s. Not the best for baseball. Finally, I plugged a sports thing last week, and don’t want to steer you that way overly much. “Rigoletto” is a true classic, the kind of dramatic and musically lush opera you can take a newbie to who might actually enjoy it. But if you want something entirely new, I suggest Gus Van Sant’s new “Paranoid Park” at the E Street Cinema.