Based on Musical Theatre: A History (J. Kenrick)

1. THE MERRY WIDOW
FRANZ LEHAR (1870-1948)

2. DEVELOPMENT
• L’Attache d’Ambassade, an 1861 French
comedy by Henri Meilhac, who scripted the
libretto for many of Offenbach’s hit shows
• Victor Leon and Leo Stein turned the story
into a fictional Balkan kingdom, added a
backstory in which the widow and the
attaché were ex-lovers torn apart by royal
command
• Surefire formula: a couple is clearly in love
and unwilling to admit it, i.e., refusing to say
“I love you”

3. PRODUCTIONS
• Premiered at the Theater an der Wien,1905
• German name: Die Lustige Witwe
• London premiere, English language: 1907, leading
lady’s name changed to Sonia (for unknown
reasons)
• Opened in NYC 1907, by 1908 a Merry Widow
Burlesque show was spoofing it!
• Today, The Merry Widow is mostly performed by
opera companies – the vocal score is demanding

4. SYNOPSIS
• Begins during a ball at the Paris embassy of Pontevedro, a fictional Balkan kingdom facing bankruptcy if the young widow Hannah Glawari marries a foreigner
• Ambassador Zeta orders playboy diplomat Count Danilo to woo the widow, knowing they were once in love but were not permitted to marry because the Count is
noble and the girl is NOT
• Hannah instead married the richest man in Pontevedro, who dies on their wedding night. She is now worth 20 million in an unspecified currency, and her fortune
makes up the bulk of Pontevedro’s economy.
• There are prideful memories between the Count and Hannah when they meet, and hard feelings ensue
• Ambassador Zeta’s much younger wife Valencienne is having a secret affair with a Parisian playboy Camille de Rosillon – but she insists she is a “virtuous wife”
• An ill-fated love note between Valencienne and Camille goes astray, and the Ambassador finds it
• The embassy ball comes to a climax when Hannah’s many suitors ask her to choose one of them for a “ladies’ choice” dance – this is important because women
were campaigning for the right to vote across Europe! Hannah chooses Danilo and it is clear the two are still in love
• Act II opens with a party in the garden of Hannah’s Paris mansion
• Valencienne and Camilo decide to end their affair and kiss each other goodbye. Unfortunately, this is overseen by the Ambassador (husband) and to prevent a
scandal Hannah slips in and takes Valencienne’s place. She bluffs her way out of the kiss by declaring she will marry Camille. This infuriates Danilo, who sets off on a
jealous rage. He confronts Hannah and she explains that she only did that to protect a married woman’s reputation. During a sensuous waltz the two finally admit
their love for each other
• Danilo assures the Ambassador that Hannah will not marry Camille. Hannah then explains to the entire party that under the terms of her husband’s will, if she
remarries, she automatically loses her fortune. Danilo immediately proclaims his love for her, and with the battle won, Hannah clarifies that her fortune will
transfer—to the man she marries!

5. CULTURAL
SIGNIFICANCE
• The music and libretto are a fantastic match
• It offers an enticing glimpse into how the upper
crust lived in turn-of-the-century Paris
• Every English language production makes
additions and deletions, a la Gilbert & Sullivan
• A theatrical marketing ploy became a fashion
sensation

6. THE MERRY
WIDOW HAT
• An oversized black
crinoline hat with silver
bands around the crows
and two massive pink
roses peeking from under
the brim – they became
immediate fashion
sensations on both sides
of the Atlantic

7. A WIDOW’S
LEGACY
• Dance became a respectable expression of sexual
passion
• A subplot was developed/second story line –
became a standard feature in musicals
• Refusing to say “I love you” generated comedic
tension
• A musical about an EMPOWERED WOMAN!