The Merry Widow Dress Rehearsal Evening

THE MERRY WIDOW

Evening Performance 7pm

Sydney Opera House
Friday 27 April 2018
1pm & 7pm ( Matinee & Evening performances)

EFFERVESCENT ROMANCE OVERFLOWING WITH GLAMOUR
“This sumptuous soufflé of a ballet is possibly one of the best The Australian Ballet has produced.” – The Australian

Irresistibly frothy and lavishly theatrical, The Merry Widow has enough tangled affairs, narrow misses and jealous lovers to fuel a French farce.
The tiny principality of Pontevedro is on the verge of bankruptcy, and the dashing Count Danilo must rescue his country by marrying the newly widowed and fabulously wealthy Hanna Glawari. Only when they meet does he realise that she’s his childhood sweetheart – and that she hasn’t forgiven him for jilting her years ago.
Based on the beloved operetta, this lively tale is set in the ballrooms and salons of Belle Époque Paris and is dressed magnificently in velvets, silks, spangles and feathers.
Created especially for The Australian Ballet, The Merry Widow is a laugh-along favourite with hum-along melodies and its heart on its sleeve.

Suitable for children

Scenario Robert Helpmann
Choreography Ronald Hynd
Music Franz Lehár
Based on the operetta by Victor Léon and Leo Stein
Arranged and orchestrated by John Lanchbery
Costume and set design Desmond Heeley
Original lighting design Francis Croese
Presented by arrangement with Glocken Verlag Ltd
Generously supported by The Margaret Ellen Pidgeon Fund

Pricing

Evening
Members $90
Pensioner Members $75
Youth Members $60

Non Members (includes FAB Membership for 2018)
Full Price $140
Pensioners $105
Youth $100

Dame Margot Fonteyn was 56 years old when she gave highly acclaimed performances in the role of Hanna during The Australian Ballet’s Washington and New York seasons of The Merry Widow in 1976.
Photo Credit – MARGOT FONTEYN PERFORMING THE MERRY WIDOW IN NEW YORK 1976. PHOTOGRAPHY MARTHA SWOPE