32^nd Festival Season - 2010

The Count Of Luxembourg

Music by: Franz Lehár

Book & Lyrics by: A. M. Willner & Robert Bodanzky

English Translation by : Nigel Douglas

ACT I: In Brissard’s studio, a group of Bohemian friends are enjoying a Mardi Gras party. Brissard’s friend and patron, René, the impoverished Count of Luxembourg, is approached by Prince Basil, who is in love with opera singer Angèle Didier, but is forbidden to marry a commoner. Prince Basil Basilovitch offers René half a million francs to marry a woman— namely Angèle—whom he will never see; she thus becomes a countess and, after three months, René will divorce her on the grounds of non–consummation, and she will be free to marry the Russian prince. During the three months, René must absent himself from Paris and assume a different name. Basil’s men fetch Angèle, and one of Brissard’s paintings is used as a screen to separate the bride and bridegroom during the ceremony. They treat the ceremony lightheartedly, but each one’s curiosity is aroused about the other.

ACT II: After three months, René returns to Paris, calling himself the Baron de Reval. He has fallen in love with Angèle, whom he visits at her home, but she—unaware of his identity—tells him that she is married. He replies that he is also married, but both reveal that they are in the process of getting divorced. Meanwhile, Brissard has resumed his pursuit of Juliette, his former model who is now Angèle’s companion. Basil shows up, eagerly anticipating his wedding the next day, and tries to get rid of René. Basil admits to Angèle’s guests that she is married to the Count of Luxembourg. Angèle cynically describes this marriage of convenience, but when she learns that the Count is none other than René she insists—to his delight and Basil’s fury—that she is still his wife.

ACT III: A short time later at the Grand Hotel, the elderly Countess Stasa Kokozov searches for Basil, whom she claims as her fiancé, with the Tsar’s blessing. Embraced by the Countess, Basil reluctantly agrees that René will stay married to Angèle, and René, whose family fortune has been restored, returns the half million francs to Basil. Brissard and Juliette, who have been married at the Registry Office, join René, Angèle, and their friends in celebrating the triumph of love.