The Merry Widow (German: Die lustige Witwe ) is an operetta by the Austro-Hungarian composer Franz Lehár. The librettists, Viktor Léon and Leo Stein, based the story — concerning a rich widow, Hanna Glawari, and her attempt to find a husband — on an 1861 comedy play, L'attaché d'ambassade (The Embassy Attaché ) by Henri Meilhac.

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Performance history

The operetta was first performed at the Theater an der Wien in Vienna on 30 December 1905 with Mizzi Günther as Hanna, Louis Treumann as Danilo, Siegmund Natzler as Baron Zeta and Annie Wünsch as Valencienne. It was Lehár's first major success, becoming internationally the best-known operetta of its era. Lehár subsequently made changes for productions in London and Berlin but the version heard today is essentially that of the original production. Well-known music from the score includes the "Vilja Song", "Da geh' ich zu Maxim" ("You'll Find Me at Maxim's"), and the "Merry Widow Waltz".

The operetta toured Austria and in 1906 enjoyed productions in Hamburg's Neues Operetten-Theater, Berlin's Berliner Theater (starring Gustav Matzner as Danilo and Marie Ottmann as Hanna, who made the first complete recording in 1907), and Budapest's Magyar Szinhaz. Many translations and international productions, as well as Austrian revivals followed, as did sequels, spoofs and film versions.

English adaptation

In its English adaptation by Basil Hood, with lyrics by Adrian Ross, the operetta became a sensation in London, beginning in June 1907, starring Lily Elsie and Joseph Coyne and featuring Robert Evett and Gabrielle Ray, with costumes by Lucile. It ran for 778 performances in London and toured extensively in Great Britain. ^[1] The English version opened in October 1907 on Broadway for another very successful run of 416 performances and played in Australia in 1908. Thereafter, it was played frequently in America and throughout the English-speaking world, and is still frequently revived in English.

Roles

Role	Voice type	Premiere Cast, December 30, 1905 (Conductor: Franz Lehár )
Hanna Glawari, a wealthy widow (title role)	soprano	Mizzi Günther
Count Danilo Danilovitsch, First Secretary of the embassy and Hanna's former lover	tenor or lyric baritone	Louis Treumann
Baron Mirko Zeta, the Ambassador	baritone	Siegmund Natzler
Valencienne, Baron Zeta's wife	soprano	Annie Wünsch
Camille, Count de Rosillon, French attaché to the embassy, the Baroness's admirer	tenor	Karl Meister
Njegus, the Embassy Secretary	spoken	Oskar Sachs
Kromow, Pontevedrian military councillor	baritone	Heinrich Pirl
Bogdanovitch, Pontevedrian military attaché	baritone	Fritz Albin
Sylviane, Bogdanovitch's wife	soprano	Bertha Ziegler
Raoul de St Brioche, French diplomat	baritone	Carlo Böhm
Vicomte Cascada, Latin diplomat	baritone	Leo von Keller
Olga, Kromow's wife	mezzo-soprano
Pritschitsch, Embassy consul	baritone
Praskowia, Pritschitsch's wife	mezzo-soprano
Parisians and Pontevedrins, musicians and servants

Synopsis

Act 1

The Embassy in Paris of the poverty-stricken Grand Duchy of Pontevedro is holding a ball to celebrate the birthday of the sovereign, the Grand Duke. Hanna Glawari, who has inherited twenty million francs from her late husband, is to be a guest at the ball and the ambassador, Baron Zeta, wants to ensure that she will marry another Pontevedrian and keep her fortune in the country, so that Pontevedro would be saved from bankruptcy. Baron Zeta has in mind Count Danilo Danilovitsch, the First Secretary of the embassy, but his plans are not going well. Danilo is not at the party, so Zeta sends Njegus, the embassy secretary, to fetch him from Maxim's.

Danilo finally arrives and meets Hanna. It emerges that they were in love before her marriage, but his uncle interrupted their romance because Hanna had absolutely nothing to her name. Although they still love each other, Danilo refuses to court Hanna because of her fortune and Hanna vows she will not marry him until he says "I love you".

Meanwhile, Baron Zeta's wife Valencienne has been flirting with the French attaché to the embassy, Count Camille de Rosillon, who writes "I love you" on her fan. Valencienne puts off Camille's advances, saying that she is a respectable wife. However, they lose the incriminating fan, which is found by Kromow (who jealously fears that the fan belongs to his wife, Olga), who then gives the fan to Baron Zeta. Not recognising Valencienne's fan, Baron Zeta decides to return the fan to Olga, in spite of Valencienne's desperate offers to take the fan and return it, herself.

On his way to see Olga, the Baron meets Danilo, and his diplomatic mission takes precedence over the fan. The Baron orders Danilo to marry Hanna. Refusing to concede to the Baron's demands, Danilo offers to eliminate any non-Pontevedrian suitors as a compromise.

The "Ladies' Choice" dance is about to start, and all the men are hovering around Hanna, hoping to be her choice of partner for the dance. Valencienne has decided to get Camille to marry Hanna so that he will not be a temptation, and therefore volunteers Camille as a partner to Hanna for her "Ladies' Choice" dance. Danilo goes to the ballroom to round up some of the other ladies to claim dances with the hopeful suitors of Hanna. Even after the ladies have made their choices, there are still some suitors left behind. Hanna chooses the one man who is apparently not interested in dancing with her — Danilo. Danilo refuses to dance, but claims the dance anyway. He puts the dance up for sale for ten thousand francs, with the proceeds of the sale to go to charity. This eliminates the interest of the would-be suitors in the dance. After the suitors have left, Danilo attempts to dance with Hanna. Hanna, annoyed at his response to her choosing him for the "Ladies' Choice", refuses to dance with him. Nonchalantly, Danilo begins to waltz by himself, eventually wearing down Hanna's resistance, and she falls into his arms.

Act 2

Act 2 is set at a party in the garden at Hanna's house, to celebrate the birthday of the Grand Duke in Pontevedrian fashion, and everybody is dressed in Pontevedrian clothing. Hanna entertains by singing an old Pontevedrian song, the famous "Vilja Song". Meanwhile, Baron Zeta fears that Camille is a threat to his plan for Hanna to marry a Pontevedrian. Still not recognising the fan as Valencienne's, the Baron orders Danilo to find out the identity of its owner, whom he assumes to be Camille's married lover. A meeting is arranged between Zeta, Danilo and Njegus, to discuss the identity of the owner of the fan and also the problem with regard to the widow, with the meeting to be held that evening in Hanna's garden pavilion. Hanna sees the fan, and thinks the message on it is Danilo's declaration of love for her, which he denies. Danilo's inquiries about the identity of the owner of the fan result in revelations of the details of the infidelities of some of the wives of Embassy personnel, but do not reveal the identity of the owner of the fan.

That evening, Camille and Valencienne meet in the garden. Valencienne continues to resist Camille's advances, declaring that they must part. Camille begs for a keepsake, and discovers the fan, which Danilo had accidentally left behind, after his inquiries. Camille begs Valencienne to let him keep the fan as the keepsake, and Valencienne agrees, after writing "I'm a highly respectable wife" on the fan in response to Camille's earlier written declaration of "I love you". Camille persuades Valencienne to enter the same pavilion in which Danilo, the Baron and Njegus had arranged to meet with him, so that they can say their goodbyes in private. Njegus, who arrives first for the meeting, discovers that Camille is in the pavilion with Valencienne. Njegus locks the door to the pavilion when Danilo and Baron Zeta arrive, and delays their entry to the pavilion. The Baron peeps through the keyhole, and is upset when he recognises his own wife. Njegus arranges with Hanna to change places with Valencienne. Camille leaves the pavilion followed by Hanna, confounding the Baron when they appear. Hanna announces that she is to marry Camille, leaving the Baron distraught at the thought of losing the Pontevedrian millions and Valencienne distraught at losing Camille. Danilo is furious and tells the story of a Princess who cheated on her Prince and then storms off to seek the distractions at Maxim's. Hanna realises that his anger at the announcement of her engagement shows that Danilo loves her and rejoices among the general despair.

Act 3

Act 3 is set at a theme party in Hanna's ballroom, which she has decorated as Maxim's, complete with Maxim's grisettes (can-can dancers). Valencienne, who has dressed herself as a grisette, entertains the guests. When Danilo arrives, having found the real Maxim's empty, he tells Hanna to give up Camille for the sake of the country. Much to Danilo's delight, Hanna tells him that she was never engaged to Camiille, but that she was protecting the reputation of a married woman. Danilo is ready to declare his love for Hanna, and is on the point of doing so when he remembers her money, and stops himself. When Njegus produces the fan, which he had picked up earlier, Baron Zeta suddenly remembers that the fan belongs to Valencienne. Baron Zeta swears to divorce his wife and marry the widow himself, but Hanna tells him that she loses her fortune if she remarries. Hearing this, Danilo confesses his love for her and asks Hanna to marry him, and Hanna triumphantly points out that she will lose her fortune only because it will become the property of her husband. Valencienne produces the fan and assures Baron Zeta of her fidelity by reading out what she had replied to Camille's declaration: "I'm a highly respectable wife"; and all ends happily.

Adapted versions

Chappell and Glocken

Die lustige Witwe was subjected to many revisions during translation and adaptation in the early 1900s. For instance, the 1907 London production with a libretto written by Adrian Ross, out of diplomacy, renamed many of the characters partly to avoid offense to Montenegro, where the royal family's surname was Njegus, the crown prince named Danilo, and Zeta was the principal founding state.

Different versions of the score have been published by two different publishing companies. One is the Dover edition of the 1907 Chappell & Co., London score, with character and place-names altered from their names in the original German.

The other, Glocken Verlag Ltd, London, published two different English translation editions in 1958. One English-language libretto is by Phil Park, which was adapted and arranged by Ronald Hanmer. The other English-language libretto, by Christoper Hassall, was based on the edition by Ludwig Doblinger, Vienna. The former edition is said to be a "new version" with "orchestration carefully arranged" for modest or large orchestras. The 1958 version is one whole-tone lower. In the 1907 edition, Camille sings a high C in the "Rosebud Romance", instead of B. Actually singing the high notes excludes casting a baritone. The Danilo and Sonia/Hanna/Anna humming of the waltz theme becomes a chorus number in the 1958 score, and the 1907 ending of the "Rosebud Romance" is sung mostly in unison rather than as a conversation. In the Glocken versions, Hanna is usually known as Anna.

In the Hassall version, the action of Act 3 differs greatly from the original libretto:

The Act takes place at Maxim's. Valencienne, and the other Embassy wives arrive to seek out Danilo and convince him to return to Hanna, closely followed by their husbands, seeking to achieve the same purpose. Njegus also arrives, but he is more interested in having a good time. The Grisettes, Parisian cabaret girls, make a grand entrance, lead by the voluptuous ZoZo. Zeta finds the brokenhearted Danilo, and as they argue, Hanna enters. Hanna, Danilo and Zeta separately bribe the Maitre'd to clear the room so Hanna and Danilo can be alone. Danilo sets aside his pride and asks Hanna to give up Camille for the sake of the country. Much to Danilo's delight, Hanna tells him that she was never engaged to Camille, but that she was protecting the reputation of a married woman. Danilo is ready to declare his love for Hanna, and is on the point of doing so when he remembers her money, and stops himself. When Njegus produces the fan, which he had picked up earlier, Baron Zeta suddenly realizes that the fan belongs to Valencienne. Baron Zeta swears to divorce his wife and marry the widow himself, but Hanna tells him that she loses her fortune if she remarries. Hearing this, Danilo confesses his love for her and asks Hanna to marry him, and Hanna triumphantly points out that she will lose her fortune only because it will become the property of her husband. Valencienne produces the fan and assures Baron Zeta of her fidelity by reading out what she had replied to Camille's declaration: "I'm a highly respectable wife". All ends happily.

Name in Glocken edition	Name in Chappell edition
Hanna Glawari / Anna Glawari	Sonia Glaward
Count Danilo Danilovitsch	Prince Danilo Danilovitsch
Baron Mirko Zeta	Baron Popoff
Valencienne	Natalie
Camille, Count de Rosillon	Vicomte Camille de Jolidon
Njegus	Nisch

German and French

The original German version and the French version differ. Act 3 of the German version is as described here, where Hanna sets up a version of Maxim's at her home. Act 3 of the French version is set in the actual Maxim's. Best-known as Danilo in the German version is actor Johannes Heesters who played the part thousands of times and for over thirty years.

Operettvilág Ensemble

The Operettvilág Ensemble of Budapest, Hungary, which specialises in presenting operetta in its most authentic form and language, made an international tour in 2003 with a traditional production of the operetta in the original German.

Essgee Entertainment

Essgee Entertainment staged productions of The Merry Widow in capital cities around Australia during 1998 and 1999. A special prologue was added, featuring a narrative, and ballet dancers in silhouette in the roles of the younger Anna (the Glocken translation, where Anna was the widow's name, was used for this production) and Danilo, as an introduction to their earlier romance. The narration was by Jon English.

The Essgee Entertainment production opened in Brisbane in 1998, with Jeffrey Black as "Danilo", Helen Donaldson as "Anna", Simon Gallaher as "Camille", and Susan Dunn as "Valencienne". In some performances, during the production's Brisbane run, Jason Barry-Smith appeared as "Danilo". In Melbourne in 1999, John O'May appeared as "Danilo", Marina Prior as "Hanna", Simon Gallaher as "Camille" and Helen Donaldson as "Valencienne". The productions in Brisbane and Melbourne used two different English translations.

Light Opera of Manhattan

Also, in the 1970s, the Light Opera of Manhattan, a year-round professional light opera repertory company in New York City, commissioned Alice Hammerstein Mathias, the daughter of Oscar Hammerstein II, to create a new English adaptation, which was extremely successful for that company in its many revivals of the production until the company closed at the end of the 1980s.

Ballet version

With the permission of the Franz Lehár Estate, Sir Robert Helpmann adapted the operetta's plot scenario in creating his three act ballet, while John Lanchbery and Alan Abbot adapted the operetta's music, as well as composing other music, for the ballet. The Merry Widow ballet was first performed on 13 November 1975 by The Australian Ballet.

Films and television

Film versions

Various films have been made which were based (very loosely) on the plot of the operetta. The 1925 silent version by Erich von Stroheim has John Gilbert playing Danilo. The 1934 black and white version, with new music, starred Maurice Chevalier and Jeanette MacDonald. Lana Turner was in the 1952 Technicolor version.

Television series

A French television series has also been made, which was based (again very loosely) on the plot of the operetta.

Notes

1. Information about ''The Merry Widow'' in London

References

1. Information about ''The Merry Widow'' in London