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The Merry Widow (L.A. 1961)

Full-Length Musical, Drama  /  5w, 5m

Music by Franz Lehár / Based upon the London version by Christopher Hassall / Book revisions by Milton Lazarus / New lyrics by Forman Brown / Produced by Edwin Lester for The Los Angeles and San Francisco Civic Light Opera Associations (1961 Season)

Franz Lehár's internationally celebrated operetta concerns a rich widow and her countrymen's attempt to find her a suitable husband.

The Merry Widow (L.A. 1961)

  • Cast Size
    Cast Size
    5w, 5m
  • Duration
    Duration
    More than 120 minutes (2 hours)
  • SubGenre
    Subgenre
    Period, Romantic Comedy
  • Audience
    Target Audience
    Appropriate for All Audiences
The Merry Widow (L.A. 1961)

Details

Summary
In the kingdom of Marsovia, the wealthy widow Sonia must marry properly to help the kingdom's finances. When the Baron, who serves as the country's ambassadormust m Franz Lehár's score includes "Vilja," "You'll Find Me at Maxim's," and "The Merry Widow Waltz."
History
The Merry Widow, first presented at the Theater an der Wien in Vienna on December 30, 1905, had several very successful productions in Austria and Germany. In its English adaptation by Basil Hood, with lyrics by Adrian Ross, the operetta became a sensation in London in 1907, starring Lily Elsie; it opened a few months later on Broadway for a very successful run. Thereafter, the show played frequently in America and throughout the English-speaking world, and it remains a popular favorite in English. This revival opened on October 26, 1961 at the Jan Hus Playhouse in New York City.
  • Time Period 1900-1910
  • Setting Paris, 1905. The Marsovian Embassy; Sonia's Villa; Maxim's.
  • Features Period Costumes
  • Duration More than 120 minutes (2 hours)

Music

  • Musical Style Operetta
  • Dance Requirements Moderate
  • Vocal DemandsDifficult
  • Orchestra Size Large
  • Chorus Size Large

Licensing & Materials

  • Licensing fees and rental materials quoted upon application.

Music Rentals

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Authors

Adrian Ross

Adrian Ross

Arthur Reed Ropes , better known under the pseudonym ADRIAN ROSS, was a prolific writer of lyrics, contributing songs to more than sixty British musical comedies in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He was the most important lyricist of the British stage during a career ...

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Ben Roberts

Ben Roberts

SIDNEY SHELDON and BEN ROBERTS met in Los Angeles, when they both lived in the same boarding house. The two writers soon began collaborating on screenplays: B-movie credits include South of Panama, Gambling Daughters (both 1941) and Fly-By-Night (1942). After World War II, Sh ...

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Sidney Sheldon

Sidney Sheldon

SIDNEY SHELDON and BEN ROBERTS met in Los Angeles, when they both lived in the same boarding house. The two writers soon began collaborating on screenplays: B-movie credits include South of Panama, Gambling Daughters (both 1941) and Fly-By-Night (1942). After World War II, Sh ...

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Franz Lehár

Franz Lehár

FRANZ LEHAR was an Austro-Hungarian composer. He is most famous for his operettas – the most successful of which is The Merry Widow (Die lustige Witwe) – but he also wrote sonatas, symphonic poems and marches. He composed a number of waltzes (the most popular being “Gold und ...

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Leo Stein

Leo Stein

LEO STEIN was a Viennese playwright and librettist of operettas in the latter part of the 19th and early 20th centuries, including works adapted for a number of Broadway productions. Stein wrote libretti for Johann Strauss II, Franz Lehár, Emmerich Kálmán, and Oskar Nedbal. H ...

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Victor Leon

Victor Leon

LEO STEIN was a Viennese playwright and librettist of operettas in the latter part of the 19th and early 20th centuries, including works adapted for a number of Broadway productions. Stein wrote libretti for Johann Strauss II, Franz Lehár, Emmerich Kálmán, and Oskar Nedbal. H ...

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