26^th Festival Season - 2004

The Merry Widow

By: Franz Lehár

Premiere: December 30, 1905

Based on Comedy By: Henri Meilhac

Music By: Franz Lehár

Joyful music, dance and light romance have made The Merry Widow a universal favorite since the operetta's first performance. In gay Paris, a birthday party for the ruler of the imaginary land of Marsovia is in full swing. Wealthy Hanna is surrounded by suitors, to the despair of Marsovian diplomat Baron Popoff, who fears she will bankrupt their country if she marries a foreigner. He cleverly convinces Prince Danilo, the minister of finance, to woo Hanna, though the prince has been rejected once. While Hanna lavishes special attention on the prince, he feigns indifference until she announces her engagement to a Frenchman. In agony, he at last reveals his true love to Hanna and discovers with joy that her engagement is a fiction and that she shares his passionate feelings.

Production Team
Conductor	J. Lynn Thompson
Stage Director	Nicholas Wuehrmann
Choreographer	Carol Hageman
Set Designer	Kirk Domer
Costume Designer	Jasen J. Smith
Lighting Designer	Shannon Schweitzer

Cast
Viscount Cascada, a Parisian Noble	Drake Dantzler
Baron Mirko Zeta, Pontevedrian Ambassador of France	Boyd Mackus
Raoul de St. Brioche, a noble Parisian	Patrick Howle
Footman	Grant Knox
Bagdonovitch, Pontevedrian Military Attaché	David Haslam
Kromov, Pontevedrian Special Envoy	Lee Matsos
Pritzl, Pontevedrian Consul	Gregory Brookes
Mrs. Pritzl	Ingrid Young
Camille de Rosillon, a Young Parisian	Timothy Oliver Brian Woods
Valencienne, Wife of Baron Zeta	Betha Christopher Sara Gartland
Njegus, Major-Domo to the Embassy	Justin Legris
Hanna Glavari, the Merry Widow	Robin De Leon Dominique McCormick
Count Danilo, Undersecretary to the Pontevedrian Embassy	Ted Christopher Oliver Henderson
The Grisettes of Maxim's
Lolo	Kemper LeCroy
Dodo	Danielle McCormick
Joujou	Erin Jackson
Froufrou	Rachel Rowe
Cloclo	Sarah Walker
Margot	Penny Hansen
Armand, Maitre d' of Maxim's	Spiro Matsos
Women of the Ensemble: Alta Boover, Betha Christopher, Robin De Leon, Sara Gartland, Penny Hansen, Jessica Hornsten, Erin Jackson, Shannon Langman, Kemper LeCroy, Danielle McCormick, Dominique McCormick, Elizabeth Mitchell, Rachel Rowe, Sarah Walker, Ingrid Young
Men of the Ensemble: Carl Bara, Gregory Brookes, Ted Christopher, Drake Dantzler, Oliver Henderson, Patrick Howle, Grant Knox, Joshua Kohl, Chris Lyons, Justin Legris, Boyd Mackus, Lee Matsos, Spiro Matsos, Timothy Oliver, Brian Woods