The Merry Widow was composed by Franz Lehár and first performed in 1905. This particular production is moved slightly forward from the turn of the century to art deco Paris of the 1920s.
I first saw The Merry Widow way back in the 1960's. I went to a dress rehearsal of the Albury amateur theatre groups production of it in the Civic Theatre to see my next door neighbour in the chorus.
The Merry Widow is an operetta, a little opera which tells a story, set to music, performed on a stage. An Operetta is lighter in style than an Opera, with its major aim to amuse and entertain the audience. The Merry Widow certainly achieves this aim. The audience I was a part of was very enthusiastic with what they saw on stage.
The Merry Widow is an old-fashioned romance which tells the story of the tiny Balkan state of Pontevedro which is bankrupt. Their only hope of financial salvation lies in Hanna, a beautiful widow who inherited her husband's fortune. The Pontevedrians must convince her to marry a local, lest she take her fortune to foreign shores. There are many twists and turns on the road to her falling in love and remarrying.
This new production of The Merry Widow is flirty, funny and fabulous. It’s an opulent party, all glitz and glamour and full of Parisian charm. Graeme Murphy, the director and choreographer of The Merry Widow, has done a wonderful job pulling all the components together to make it an absolute enjoyable viewing pleasure.
The Merry Widow is an entertaining Operetta to see, as in addition to the singing and dancing has moments of laugh out loud comedy in it. The singing and dancing are faultless. Unfortunately, the downfall of the Merry Widow is in the acting, which sometimes appears to be stiff and wooden and gives the impression of a Melodrama.
This new production of The Merry Widow is flirty, funny and fabulous. It’s an opulent party, all glitz and glamour and full of Parisian charm. Graeme Murphy, the director and choreographer of The Merry Widow, has done a wonderful job pulling all the components together to make it an absolute enjoyable viewing pleasure.
The Merry Widow is an entertaining Operetta to see, as in addition to the singing and dancing has moments of laugh out loud comedy in it. The singing and dancing are faultless. Unfortunately, the downfall of the Merry Widow is in the acting, which sometimes appears to be stiff and wooden and gives the impression of a Melodrama.
The music of The Merry Widow is fabulous. It is bubbly, beautiful and full of dance tunes, including waltzes, marches, cancans, gallops and a polonaise. Even though the songs are sung in English, subtitles are displayed high above the stage to help those who find it hard to understand some of the words of the sings.
Vanessa Scammell, the conductor of The Merry Widow, does a wonderful job with the Opera Australia Orchestra producing a lush, rich and full sound. I am she sure and the players in the orchestra appreciated the recently reconfigured orchestra pit. The only complaint that I heard from an audience member who came from Vienna was with the music for the 3/4 waltz. She said the emphasis was placed on the wrong beat to be a true waltz.
Tony David Cray, the sound designer, adequately blended the orchestra music and singing together so that one did not overpower the other. It was good the audio seemed to come from centre stage, not from speakers on either side of the stage. I felt that where I was sitting in the Circle the overall volume was a bit too soft, and could have been increased slightly. However, the man sitting behind me felt the volume could have been turned down slightly. It just goes to show that theatre volume is a matter of the ear of the beholder.
The Merry Widow is a pure delight to see on the Opera house stage. The sets and costumes are beautiful and are a feast for the eyes. Even if you could somehow close your ears and just see this production on stage, you would have experienced a wonderful nights entertainment.
The costumes for The Merry Widow were designed by Jennifer Irwin. The sumptuous Art Deco era costumes look fabulous. The women's dresses with their elegant flowing shapes, stunning embroidery, feathers and prints look superb. Not forgetting the men, their costumes, including elaborately braided dress uniforms, look great.
Michael Scott-Mitchell designed three different stunning sets for the three acts of The Merry Widow. The first act features a beautiful art deco styled set that transports you back to the Pontevedrian Embassy in Paris in the 1920s. The second act is Hanna's home in Paris, with its Monet-inspired night garden. It features a Summer House and gorgeous art-work backdrop. The third act features the geometric shapes of Maxim's Nightclub.
Lighting designer Damien Cooper created a shimmering art deco world for the singers and dancers on stage to be seen in their full glory.
All the singers and dancers on stage excel in their performing arts. The main men and women characters sing with enthusiasm and clarity. Undoubtedly, the star of The Merry Widow is Danielle de Niese, who plays the bubbly, beautiful newly wealthy widowed Hanna. Her soprano voice is a pleasure to listen to, and she steals the show singing the 'Vilja Song'.
The major characters are backed up by the delightful voices of the Opera Australia Chorus.
An opportunity to learn to waltz is provided on the balcony adjacent to the Southern Foyer 30 minutes before the performance begins. The award-winning dance coach, Jason Duff, provides free lessons that are sure to get you in the toe-tapping mood before the show, regardless of your dancing ability.
Vanessa Scammell, the conductor of The Merry Widow, does a wonderful job with the Opera Australia Orchestra producing a lush, rich and full sound. I am she sure and the players in the orchestra appreciated the recently reconfigured orchestra pit. The only complaint that I heard from an audience member who came from Vienna was with the music for the 3/4 waltz. She said the emphasis was placed on the wrong beat to be a true waltz.
The Merry Widow is a pure delight to see on the Opera house stage. The sets and costumes are beautiful and are a feast for the eyes. Even if you could somehow close your ears and just see this production on stage, you would have experienced a wonderful nights entertainment.
Michael Scott-Mitchell designed three different stunning sets for the three acts of The Merry Widow. The first act features a beautiful art deco styled set that transports you back to the Pontevedrian Embassy in Paris in the 1920s. The second act is Hanna's home in Paris, with its Monet-inspired night garden. It features a Summer House and gorgeous art-work backdrop. The third act features the geometric shapes of Maxim's Nightclub.
Lighting designer Damien Cooper created a shimmering art deco world for the singers and dancers on stage to be seen in their full glory.
The major characters are backed up by the delightful voices of the Opera Australia Chorus.
An opportunity to learn to waltz is provided on the balcony adjacent to the Southern Foyer 30 minutes before the performance begins. The award-winning dance coach, Jason Duff, provides free lessons that are sure to get you in the toe-tapping mood before the show, regardless of your dancing ability.
The Merry Widow is only being performed for a month at the Sydney Opera House, so you will need to be quick in order to get tickets to see it.
You will be awestruck at the wonderful performances of the principal characters, orchestra, chorus and dancers. After you thank yourself for getting along to see it, you will come away thinking of the words - beauty, elegance, glamour, grace, glitz, love, marriage, memorable, opulence, sensuous, shimmering, smile and sumptuous.
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