A TAMS-WITMARK TITLE

The Merry Widow (L.A. 1961)

Full-Length Musical, Drama  /  5w, 5m

Adrian Ross, Ben Roberts, Sidney Sheldon, Franz Lehár, Leo Stein, Victor Leon

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)

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  • 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.
Keywords
Performing Groups
(in order of appearance)

Major Domo
Nish
Popoff
Natalie
Chevalier St. Brioche
Vicomte Cascada
Sylvaine (Madame Khadja)
Olga (Madame Novikovich)
Navikovich
Khadja
Capt. Pierre De Jolidon
Sonia
Prince Danilo

Girls from Maxim’s:
Lolo
Cloclo
Dodo
Margot
Joujou
Froufrou

Michael
ZoZo
Guests, Lackeys, Housemaids and Musicians
Singing Ladies
Singing Gentleman
Dancing Girls
Dancing Boys
  • 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

Act I

1. Overture – Orchestra
2. Opening Act I – Orchestra
3. “Ballroom” – Natalie, Sonia, Olga, St. Brioche, Cascada, Popoff, & Chorus
4. “A Respectable Wife” – Natalie & Pierre
5. “Who Knows The Way To My Heart?” – Sonia, Cascada, St. Brioche, & Men
6. Ball Music – Orchestra
7. Danilo’s Entrance – Danilo, Lolo, Dodo, Joujou, Cloclo, Margot, & Froufrou
7a. “I’m Off To Chez Maxim’s” – Danilo & Girls
7b. Maxim Pantomime – Danilo
8. Finale Act One – Sonia, Danilo, Cascada, St. Brioche, & Chorus

Act II

9. Entr’acte – Orchestra
9a. Opening Act II – Sonia
9b. Marsovian-Handkerchief Dance – Chorus
9c. “Villa” – Sonia & Chorus
10. Encore: “Villa” – Sonia & Chorus
11. “Women” – Popoff, Cascada, St. Brioche, Nish, Khadja,, & Novikovich
10a. Dance Chorus & Encore – Orchestra
12. Dance & Melodrama (Ballet) – Danilo
13. “Romance” – Natalie & Pierre
14. Finale Act II – Danilo, Sonia, Natalie, Pierre, Popoff, & Chorus

Act III

15. Entr’acte – Orchestra
14a. Opening Act III – Orchestra
16. “The Girls At Maxim’s” – Sonia & Girls
17. Reprise: “Maxim’s” – Danilo
18. “I Love You So” – Sonia & Danilo
17a. Finale Act III – Chorus
19. Bow Music – Orchestra
20. Exit Music – Orchestra

  • 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

Concord offers a full suite of resources to help you put on the show of a lifetime!
1 Piano-Conductor
25 Libretto-Vocal Book
1 Flute 1
1 Flute 2
1 Clarinet 1
1 Clarinet 2
1 Bassoon
1 Horn1
1 Horn 2
1 Trumpet 1
1 Trumpet 2
1 Trombone 1
1 Trombone 2
1 Percussion
1 Harp
2 Violin 1
1 Violin 2
1 Viola
1 Cello
1 Bass
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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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