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{{Short description|Operetta by Franz Lehár}}
{{about|the Lehár operetta||The Merry Widow (disambiguation)}}
{{italic title}}
{{use dmy dates|date=April 2025}}
[[File:Bain News Service - Franz Lehár.jpg|thumb|upright|Franz Lehár]]

'''''The Merry Widow''''' ({{langx|de|'''Die lustige Witwe'''|links=no}} {{IPA|de|diː ˈlʊstɪɡə ˈvɪtvə|}}) is an [[operetta]] by the [[Austria-Hungary|Austro-Hungarian]] composer [[Franz Lehár]]. The [[Libretto|librettist]]s, [[Viktor Léon]] and [[Leo Stein (writer)|Leo Stein]], based the story – concerning a rich widow, and her countrymen's attempt to keep her money in the principality by finding her the right husband – on an 1861 comedy play, {{Lang|fr|L'attaché d'ambassade}} (''The Embassy Attaché'') by [[Henri Meilhac]].

The operetta has enjoyed extraordinary international success since its 1905 premiere in Vienna and continues to be frequently revived and recorded. Film and other adaptations have also been made. Well-known music from the score includes the "[[Supernatural beings in Slavic folklore#Vila|Vilja]] Song", "{{lang|de|Da geh' ich zu [[Maxim's|Maxim]]|i=no}}" ("You'll Find Me at Maxim's"), and the "Merry Widow Waltz".

==Background==
[[File:Elsiemerrywidow.jpg|thumb|280px|[[Lily Elsie]] in act 3, London, 1907]]
In 1861, [[Henri Meilhac]] premiered a comic play in Paris, {{Lang|fr|L'attaché d'ambassade}} (''The Embassy Attaché''), in which the Parisian ambassador of a poor German [[grand duchy]], Baron Scharpf, schemes to arrange a marriage between his country's richest widow (a French woman) and a [[Count]] to keep her money at home, thus preventing economic disaster in the duchy. The play was soon adapted into German as ''Der Gesandschafts-Attaché'' (1862) and was given several successful productions. In early 1905, Viennese librettist [[Leo Stein (writer)|Leo Stein]] came across the play and thought it would make a good operetta. He suggested this to one of his writing collaborators, [[Viktor Léon]] and to the manager of the [[Theater an der Wien]], who was eager to produce the piece. The two adapted the play as a libretto and updated the setting to contemporary Paris, expanding the plot to reference an earlier relationship between the widow (this time a countrywoman) and the Count, and moving the native land from a dour German province to a colourful little [[Balkans|Balkan]] state. In addition, the widow admits to an affair to protect the Baron's wife, and the Count's haven is changed to the Parisian restaurant and nightclub [[Maxim's]]. They asked [[Richard Heuberger]] to compose the music, as he had a previous hit at the Theater an der Wien with a Parisian-themed piece, ''[[Der Opernball]]'' (1898). He composed a draft of the score, but it was unsatisfactory, and he gladly left the project.<ref name=HistoryofaHit>[[John Kenrick (theatre writer)|Kenrick, John]]. [http://www.musicals101.com/widowhist.htm "''The Merry Widow'' 101: History of a Hit"]. Musicals101.com, 2004, accessed 24 January 2016</ref>

The theatre's staff next suggested that [[Franz Lehár]] might compose the piece. Lehár had worked with Léon and Stein on ''[[Der Göttergatte]]'' the previous year. Although Léon doubted that Lehár could invoke an authentic Parisian atmosphere, he was soon enchanted by Lehar's first number for the piece, a bubbly [[galop]] melody for "Dummer, dummer Reitersmann". The score of ''Die Lustige Witwe'' was finished in a matter of months. The theatre engaged [[Mizzi Günther]] and [[Louis Treumann]] for the leading roles. They had starred as the romantic couple in other operettas in Vienna, including a production of ''Der Opernball'' and a previous Léon and Lehár success, ''Der Rastelbinder'' (1902). Both stars were so enthusiastic about the piece that they supplemented the theatre's low-budget production by paying for their own lavish costumes. During the rehearsal period, the theatre lost faith in the score and asked Lehár to withdraw it, but he refused.<ref name=HistoryofaHit/> The piece was given little rehearsal time on stage before its premiere.<ref name=Baranello>Baranello, Micaela. [https://www.academia.edu/7628789/Die_lustige_Witwe_and_the_Creation_of_the_Silver_Age_of_Viennese_Operetta "''Die lustige Witwe'' and the Creation of the Silver Age of Viennese Operetta"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160321134646/http://www.academia.edu/7628789/Die_lustige_Witwe_and_the_Creation_of_the_Silver_Age_of_Viennese_Operetta |date=2016-03-21 }}, Academia.edu, 2014, accessed January 24, 2016</ref>

==Original production==
''Die Lustige Witwe'' was first performed at the Theater an der Wien in Vienna on 30 December 1905, with Günther as Hanna, Treumann as Danilo, Siegmund Natzler as Baron Zeta and Annie Wünsch as Valencienne. After a couple of shaky weeks at the box-office, it became a major success, receiving good reviews and running for 483 performances.<ref name=Baranello/> The production also toured in Austria in 1906.

The operetta originally had no overture; Lehár wrote one for the 400th performance, but it is rarely used in productions of the operetta, as the original short introduction is preferred.<ref name=HistoryofaHit/> The [[Vienna Philharmonic]] performed the overture at Lehár's 70th birthday concert in April 1940.<ref>Göran Forsling, [http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2005/Apr05/lehar_widow_8111007.htm review] of Naxos reissue of 1953 Ackermann recording of the operetta.</ref>

==Roles and original cast==
[[File:Lehar Lustige-Witwe KlA-01.jpg|thumb|Louis Treumann and [[Mizzi Günther]] on the frontpage of a [[piano–vocal score]], 1906]]
{| class="wikitable"
|+{{sronly|Roles, voice types, premiere cast}}
!Role
![[Voice type]]
!Premiere cast,<br /> 30 December 1905<br />Conductor: Franz Lehár
|-
|Hanna Glawari, ''a wealthy widow'' (title role)
|[[soprano]]
|[[Mizzi Günther]]
|-
|Count Danilo Danilovitsch, ''First Secretary of the Pontevedrin embassy and Hanna's former lover''
|[[tenor]] or lyric [[baritone]]
|[[Louis Treumann]]
|-
|Baron Mirko Zeta, ''the Ambassador''
|baritone
|{{Interlanguage link multi|Siegmund Natzler|de}}
|-
|Valencienne, ''Baron Zeta's wife''
|soprano
|Annie Wünsch
|-
|Camille, Count de Rosillon, ''French attaché to the embassy, the Baroness's admirer''
|tenor
|Karl Meister
|-
|Njegus, ''the Embassy Secretary''
|spoken
|Oskar Sachs
|-
|Kromow, ''Pontevedrin embassy counsellor''
|baritone
|Heinrich Pirl
|-
|Bogdanovitch, ''Pontevedrin consul''
|baritone
|Fritz Albin
|-
|Sylviane, ''Bogdanovitch's wife''
|soprano
|Bertha Ziegler
|-
|Raoul de St Brioche, ''French diplomat''
|tenor
|Carlo Böhm
|-
|Vicomte Cascada, ''Latin diplomat''
|baritone
|Leo von Keller
|-
|Olga, ''Kromow's wife''
|[[mezzo-soprano]]
|Minna Schütz
|-
|Pritschitsch, ''Embassy consul''
|baritone
|Julius Bramer
|-
|Praskowia, ''Pritschitsch's wife''
|mezzo-soprano
|Lili Wista
|-
| colspan="3"|''Parisians and Pontevedrins, musicians and servants''
|}

==Synopsis==

===Act 1===
The embassy in Paris of the poverty-stricken Balkan principality of Pontevedro is holding a ball to celebrate the birthday of the sovereign, the [[Grand Duke]]. Hanna Glawari, who has inherited twenty million francs from her late husband, is to be a guest at the ball – and the Pontevedrin ambassador, Baron Zeta, is scheming to ensure that she will keep her fortune in the country, saving Pontevedro from bankruptcy. The Baron intends that Count Danilo Danilovitsch, the [[Diplomatic rank|first secretary]] of the embassy, should marry the widow; unfortunately for this plan, Danilo is not at the party, so Zeta sends Danilo's assistant Njegus to fetch him from [[Maxim's Paris|Maxim's]].

Danilo arrives and meets Hanna. It emerges they were in love before her marriage, but his uncle had interrupted their romance because Hanna had had nothing to her name. Though they still love each other, Danilo now refuses to court Hanna for her fortune, and Hanna vows that she will not marry him until he says "I love you" – something he claims he will never do.

Meanwhile, Baron Zeta's wife Valencienne has been flirting with the French attaché to the embassy, Count Camille de Rosillon, who writes "I love you" on her fan. Valencienne puts off Camille's advances, saying that she is a respectable wife. However, they lose the incriminating fan, which is found by embassy counsellor Kromow. Kromow jealously fears that the fan belongs to his own wife, Olga, and gives it to Baron Zeta. Not recognising it, Baron Zeta decides to return the fan discreetly, in spite of Valencienne's desperate offers to take it "to Olga" herself.

On his way to find Olga, the Baron meets Danilo, and his diplomatic mission takes precedence over the fan. The Baron orders Danilo to marry Hanna. Danilo refuses, but offers to eliminate any non-Pontevedrin suitors as a compromise.

As the "Ladies' Choice" dance is about to begin, Hanna becomes swarmed with hopeful suitors. Valencienne volunteers Camille to dance with Hanna, privately hoping that the Frenchman will marry her and cease to be a temptation for Valencienne herself. True to his bargain with the Baron, Danilo circulates the ballroom, rounding up ladies to claim dances and thin the crowd around the wealthy widow. Hanna, however, chooses the one man who is not apparently interested in dancing with her: Danilo, who immediately announces that he will sell his dance with Hanna Glawari for ten thousand francs, with the proceeds to benefit charity. This extinguishes the remaining suitors' interest in the dance. After they have left, Danilo attempts to dance with Hanna, who refuses in annoyance. Nonchalantly he proceeds to waltz by himself, eventually wearing down Hanna's resistance, and she falls into his arms.

===Act 2===
====Scene 1====
The next evening, everyone is dressed in Pontevedrin clothing for a garden party at Hanna's house, now celebrating the Grand Duke's birthday in his own country's fashion. Hanna entertains by singing an old Pontevedrin song: "{{Lang|de|Es lebt' eine [[Vilja]], ein Waldmägdelein|italic=no}}" ("There lived a Vilja, a maid of the woods"). Meanwhile, Baron Zeta fears that Camille will spoil his plan for Hanna to marry a Pontevedrin. Still not recognising the fan as Valencienne's, the Baron orders Danilo to discover the identity of its owner, whom he correctly assumes to be Camille's married lover. The two men, along with Njegus, arrange to meet that evening in Hanna's garden [[pavilion]] to discuss Danilo's findings, as well as the problem of securing the widow's fortune for Pontevedro. Seeing the fan, Hanna takes the message on it to be Danilo's declaration of love for her, which he denies. His inquiries regarding the fan prove fruitless, but do reveal infidelities committed by some of the wives of embassy personnel.

====Scene 2====
That evening, Camille and Valencienne meet in the garden, where Valencienne insists that they must part. Discovering the fan, accidentally left behind by Danilo, Camille begs Valencienne to let him have it as a [[wiktionary:keepsake|keepsake]]. Valencienne agrees, writing "I'm a respectable wife" on it as a rejoinder to Camille's "I love you." Camille persuades Valencienne to join him in the pavilion so that they can say their goodbyes in private. This is of course the same pavilion where Danilo, the Baron, and Njegus have agreed to meet, and the latter, arriving first, locks the door when he spots people inside. Baron Zeta and Danilo follow, but Njegus quickly arranges with Hanna to change places with Valencienne. Camille emerges from the pavilion with Hanna, who announces that they plan to marry, leaving the Baron distraught at the thought of Pontevedro losing Hanna's millions and Valencienne distraught at losing Camille. Danilo is furious, and tells the story of a Princess who cheated on her Prince ("{{Lang|de|Es waren zwei Königskinder|italic=no}})" before storming off to seek distraction at Maxim's. Hanna realises that Danilo's anger over her engagement to another man proves that he loves her, and she rejoices amid the general despair.

===Act 3===
Act 3 is set at a theme party in Hanna's ballroom, which she has decorated to look like Maxim's, complete with Maxim's [[Grisette (person)|grisettes]] ([[can-can]] dancers). Valencienne, who has dressed herself as a grisette, entertains the guests ("{{Lang|de|Ja, wir sind es, die Grisetten|italic=no}}"). When Danilo arrives, having found the real Maxim's empty, he tells Hanna to give up Camille for the sake of Pontevedro. Much to Danilo's delight, Hanna replies truthfully that she was never engaged to Camille but was protecting the reputation of a married woman. Danilo comes very close to declaring his love for Hanna, but stops himself from doing so when he remembers her money and his proud refusal to court her for it. Njegus produces the fan, which he picked up earlier, and Baron Zeta finally remembers that it belongs to Valencienne. He swears to divorce his wife and marry the widow himself, but Hanna stops him by declaring that she will lose her fortune if she remarries. At this, Danilo promptly confesses his love for her and asks Hanna to marry him. Hanna triumphantly accepts, adding that she will lose her fortune only because it will become the property of her new husband. Valencienne assures Baron Zeta of her fidelity by pointing out her reply to Camille's declaration of love written on the fan: "{{Lang|de|Ich bin eine anständige Frau|italic=no}}" ("I'm a respectable wife"). All ends happily.

==Subsequent productions==
The operetta was produced in 1906 in [[Hamburg]]'s Neues Operetten-Theater, Berlin's {{ill|Berliner Theater|de}} with Max Monti's company before Monti moved the production to the [[Theater des Westens]] (Gustav Matzner as Danilo and Marie Ottmann as Hanna starred and, with the Berlin cast in 1907, made the work's first complete recording, including dialogue, for [[Deutsche Grammophon]]), and Budapest's [[Magyar Theatre|Magyar Színház]] in a faithful Hungarian translation. The piece became an international sensation, and translations were quickly made into various languages: in 1907, Buenos Aires theatres were playing at least five productions, each in a different language. Productions also swiftly followed in Stockholm, Copenhagen, Milan, Moscow and Madrid, among other places. It was eventually produced in every city with a theatre industry. [[Bernard Grün]], in his book ''Gold and Silver: The Life and Times of Franz Lehar'', estimates that ''The Merry Widow'' was performed about half a million times in its first sixty years.{{sfn|Grün|1970|p=129}} Global sheet music sales and recordings totalled tens of millions of dollars. Its popularity influenced fashions<ref>Kantor, Michael and Laurence Maslow. "Broadway: The American Musical", New York: Bulfinch Press (2004), p. 43</ref> and inspired merchandising and product tie-ins, from corsets to chocolates.<ref>[https://www.eno.org/discover-opera/operas/an-introduction-to-the-merry-widow "An Introduction to ''The Merry Widow'': It was the first show to sell merchandise"], [[English National Opera]], accessed 15 December 2021</ref> According to theatre writer [[John Kenrick (theatre writer)|John Kenrick]], no other play or musical up to the 1960s had enjoyed such international commercial success.<ref name=HistoryofaHit2>[[John Kenrick (theatre writer)|Kenrick, John]]. [http://www.musicals101.com/widowhist2.htm "''The Merry Widow'' 101 – History of a Hit: Part II"], Musicals101.com, 2004, accessed 28 July 2011</ref>

===English adaptations===
In its English adaptation by [[Basil Hood]], with lyrics by [[Adrian Ross]], ''The Merry Widow'' became a sensation at [[Daly's Theatre]] in London, opening on 8 June 1907, starring [[Lily Elsie]] and [[Joseph Coyne]] and featuring [[George Graves (actor)|George Graves]] as the Baron, [[Robert Evett]] as Camille and [[W. H. Berry]] as Nisch, with costumes by [[Lucy, Lady Duff-Gordon|Lucile]] and [[Percy Anderson (designer)|Percy Anderson]].<ref name=Programme>Original theatre programme from Daly's Theatre, available at [http://www.lily-elsie.com/widow.htm "''The Merry Widow''. June 8th 1907"], Miss Lily Elsie website, accessed 24 January 2016</ref> [[Gabrielle Ray]] was a replacement as the Maxim's dancer [[Frou-Frou]].<ref name=Gillan>Gillan, Don. [http://www.dgillan.screaming.net/stage/th-main.html "Gabrielle Ray biography"], at the Stage Beauty website</ref> It was produced by [[George Edwardes]]. The production ran for an extraordinary 778 performances in London and toured extensively in Great Britain.<ref name=HistoryofaHit2/>

The adaptation renamed many of the characters, to avoid offense to [[Montenegro]], where the royal family's surname was Njegus, the crown prince was named Danilo, and [[Principality of Zeta|Zeta]] was the principal founding state. Hood changed the name of the principality to Marsovia, Danilo is promoted to the title of Prince, Hannah is Sonia, the Baron is Popoff, Njegus is Nisch, Camille's surname is de Jolidon and Valencienne is Natalie, among other changes.<ref name=Programme/> The final scene was relocated into Maxim's itself, rather than the original theme-party setting, to take further advantage of the fame of the nightclub. Graves ad-libbed extensive "business" in the role of the Baron. Edwardes engaged Lehár to write two new songs, one of which, "Quite Parisien" (a third act solo for Nisch) is still used in some productions.<ref name=HistoryofaHit2/> Lehár also made changes for a Berlin production in the 1920s, but the definitive version of the score is basically that of the original production.<ref name=HistoryofaHit2/>

[[File:Brian-Jackson-The-Merry-Widow-1907.jpg|thumb|left|upright|[[Donald Brian]] and [[Ethel Jackson]] in the original Broadway production (1907)]]
The first American production opened on 21 October 1907 at the [[New Amsterdam Theatre]] on [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]] for another very successful run of 416 performances, and was reproduced by multiple touring companies across the US, all using the Hood/Ross libretto. It was produced by [[Henry Wilson Savage]]. The New York cast starred [[Ethel Jackson]] as Sonia and [[Donald Brian]] as Danilo. The operetta first played in Australia in 1908 using the Hood/Ross libretto. Since then, it has been staged frequently in English. It was revived in London's [[West End theatre|West End]] in 1923, running for 239 performances, and in 1924 and 1932. A 1943 revival ran for 302 performances. Most of these productions featured Graves as Popoff. [[Madge Elliott]] and [[Cyril Ritchard]] starred in the 1944 production, while [[June Bronhill]] and [[Thomas Round]] led the 1958 cast and recording. [[Lizbeth Webb]] and [[John Rhys Evans]] starred in a brief 1969 revival.<ref name=HistoryofaHit2/> Revivals were mounted in major New York theatres in 1921, 1929, 1931 and 1943–1944. The last of these starred [[Marta Eggerth]] and her husband [[Jan Kiepura]], with sets by [[Howard Bay (designer)|Howard Bay]] and choreography by [[George Balanchine]]. It ran for 322 performances at the [[Majestic Theatre (Broadway)|Majestic Theatre]] and returned the next season at the [[New York City Center]] for another 32 performances.<ref>[http://www.ibdb.com/Show/View/6037 ''The Merry Widow''], [[Internet Broadway Database]], accessed 24 January 2016</ref>

Glocken Verlag Ltd, London, published two different English translation editions in 1958. One English-language libretto is by [[Phil Park]], which was adapted and arranged by [[Ronald Hanmer]]. The other is by [[Christopher Hassall]], based on the edition by Ludwig Doblinger, Vienna. The Park version is a [[Major second|whole-tone]] lower than the original. Danilo and Hanna's hummed waltz theme becomes a chorus number, and the ending of the "Rosebud Romance" is sung mostly in unison rather than as a conversation. In the Hassall version, the action of act 3 takes place at Maxim's. Valencienne and the other Embassy wives arrive to seek out Danilo and convince him to return to Hanna, closely followed by their husbands, seeking to achieve the same purpose. The Grisettes, Parisian cabaret girls, make a grand entrance, led by the voluptuous ZoZo. Zeta finds the brokenhearted Danilo, and as they argue, Hanna enters. Hanna, Danilo and Zeta separately bribe the Maitre'd to clear the room so Hanna and Danilo can be alone. Danilo sets aside his pride and asks Hanna to give up Camille for the sake of the country. Much to Danilo's delight, Hanna tells him that she was never engaged to Camille, but that she was protecting the reputation of a married woman. Danilo is ready to declare his love for Hanna, and is on the point of doing so when he remembers her money, and stops himself. When Njegus produces the fan, which he had picked up earlier, Baron Zeta suddenly realizes that the fan belongs to Valencienne. Baron Zeta swears to divorce his wife and marry the widow himself, but Hanna tells him that she loses her fortune if she remarries. Hearing this, Danilo confesses his love for her and asks Hanna to marry him, and Hanna triumphantly points out that she will lose her fortune only because it will become the property of her husband. Valencienne produces the fan and assures Baron Zeta of her fidelity by reading out what she had replied to Camille's declaration: "I'm a highly respectable wife".{{citation needed|date=January 2016}}

[[File:Lily Elsie in The Merry Widow.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Lily Elsie]], London, 1907]]

In the 1970s, the [[Light Opera of Manhattan]], a year-round professional [[light opera]] repertory company in New York City, commissioned Alice Hammerstein Mathias, the daughter of [[Oscar Hammerstein II]], to create a new English adaptation, which was revived many times until the company closed at the end of the 1980s.<ref>[http://www.rnh.com/bio/8/Mathias-Alice-Hammerstein "Alice Hammerstein Mathias"]. Rodgers & Hammerstein Organization, accessed May 10, 2011</ref><ref>[[John Kenrick (theatre writer)|Kenrick, John]]. [http://www.musicals101.com/loomhistory.htm "A Brief History of LOOM"], Musicals101.com</ref> [[Essgee Entertainment]] staged productions of ''The Merry Widow'' in capital cities around Australia during 1998 and 1999. A prologue was added featuring a narrative by [[Jon English]] and a ballet introducing the earlier romance of Anna and Danilo. The production opened in [[Brisbane]], with [[Jeffrey Black]] as Danilo, [[Helen Donaldson]] as "Anna", [[Simon Gallaher]] as Camille and English as Baron Zeta. In some performances, during the production's Brisbane run, [[Jason Barry-Smith]] appeared as Danilo. In [[Melbourne]], Sydney and [[Adelaide]] in 1999, [[John O'May]] appeared as Danilo, [[Marina Prior]] as "Hanna", [[Max Gillies]] as Zeta, Gallaher as Camille and Donaldson as Valencienne.{{citation needed|date=January 2016}}

Numerous opera companies have mounted the operetta.<ref name=HistoryofaHit2/> [[New York City Opera]] mounted several productions from the 1950s through the 1990s, including a lavish 1977 production starring [[Beverly Sills]] and [[Alan Titus]] with a new translation by [[Sheldon Harnick]]. An [[Australian Opera]] production starred [[Joan Sutherland]], and [[PBS]] broadcast a production by the [[San Francisco Opera]] in 2002, among numerous other broadcasts.<ref name=MoreRevivals>[[John Kenrick (theatre writer)|Kenrick, John]]. [http://www.musicals101.com/widowhist3.htm "''The Merry Widow'' 101 – History of a Hit: Part III"], Musicals101.com, 2004, accessed 24 January 2016</ref> The [[Metropolitan Opera]] had mounted the opera 18 times by 2003.<ref>Kerner, Leighton. [http://www.operanews.com/operanews/templates/content.aspx?id=9794 ''The Merry Widow''], ''[[Opera News]]'', 22 December 2003</ref> The first performance by [[The Royal Opera]] in London was in 1997.<ref>[http://www.rohcollections.org.uk/production.aspx?production=7827&row=0 "''The Merry Widow'' (1997)"], Royal Opera House Collections Online, accessed 27 May 2012.</ref>

===French, German, and Italian versions===
The first production in Paris was at the Théâtre Apollo on 28 April 1909 as ''La Veuve joyeuse''. Although Parisians were worried about how their city would be portrayed in the operetta, the Paris production was well received and ran for 186 performances. In this translation, Hanna is an American raised in "Marsovie" named "Missia". Danilo was a prince with gambling debts. The third act was set in Maxim's. The following year, the operetta played in [[Brussels]].<ref name=HistoryofaHit2/>

''The Merry Widow'' is frequently revived in Vienna and is part of the Vienna Volksopera's repertory. The Volksopera released a complete live performance on CD, interpolating the "Can-Can" from Offenbach's ''[[Orpheus in the Underworld]]'', which was copied in many other productions worldwide.<ref name=HistoryofaHit2/> Best known as Danilo in the German version was the actor [[Johannes Heesters]], who played the part thousands of times for over thirty years.{{citation needed|date=January 2016}}

The operetta has also been translated into Italian (as ''La Vedova Allegra'').<ref>[http://padovacultura.padovanet.it/sites/default/files/documenti-eventi/libretto_x_web.pdf "''La Vedova Allegra''"], Teatro Comunale Giuseppe Verdi, 2014</ref>

==Recordings==
{{main|The Merry Widow discography}}

The operetta has been recorded both live and in the studio many times, and several video recordings have been made.<ref>[http://www.operadis-opera-discography.org.uk/CLLELUST.HTM#16 ''Die lustige Witwe'' recordings]. operadis-opera-discography.org.uk, accessed 10 May 2011</ref><ref>[[John Kenrick (theatre writer)|Kenrick, John]]. [http://www.musicals101.com/widowdiscs.htm "''Merry Widow'' 101: Discography"]. Musicals101.com, 2006, accessed 28 July 2011</ref> In 1906, the original Hanna and Danilo, Mizzi Günther and Louis Treumann, recorded their arias and duets, and also some numbers written for Camille and Valencienne; CD transfers were made in 2005.<ref>In addition to her own numbers, Günther took over Valencienne's " Ich bin eine anständ'ge Frau" as a solo, and she and Treumann recorded Camille and Valencienne's duet, "Das ist der Zauber der stillen Häuslichkeit". See: O'Connor, Patrick. "A Viennese Whirl", ''[[Gramophone (magazine)|Gramophone]]'', October 2005, p. 49</ref> The first recording of a substantially complete version of the score was made of the Berlin 1907 production, with Ottmann and Matzner in their lead roles and [[Bruno Seidler-Winkler]] conducting the "Grammophon Streich-Orchester"; it includes a considerable amount of the operetta's dialogue.<ref name=gram>O'Connor, Patrick. "A Viennese Whirl", ''Gramophone'', October 2005, pp. 48–52</ref> After that, excerpts appeared periodically on disc, but no new full recording was issued until 1950, when [[Columbia Records]] released a set sung in English with [[Dorothy Kirsten]] and [[Robert Rounseville]].<ref name=gram />

In 1953, [[EMI Records|EMI]]'s [[Columbia Graphophone Company|Columbia]] label released a near-complete version<ref>It omits "Das ist der Zauber der Stillen Häuslichkeit": see O'Connor, Patrick. "A Viennese Whirl", ''Gramophone'', October 2005, p. 50</ref> produced by [[Walter Legge]], conducted by [[Otto Ackermann (conductor)|Otto Ackermann]], with [[Elisabeth Schwarzkopf]] as Hanna, [[Erich Kunz]] as Danilo, [[Nicolai Gedda]] as Camille and [[Emmy Loose]] as Valencienne. It was sung in German, with abridged spoken dialogue.<ref name=sw>{{harvnb|Sackville-West|Shawe-Taylor|1956|pp=401–402}}</ref> Loose sang Valencienne again for [[Decca Records|Decca]] in the first [[stereophonic]] recording, produced in 1958 by [[John Culshaw]], with [[Hilde Gueden]], [[Per Grundén]] and [[Waldemar Kmentt]] in the other main roles, and the [[Vienna Philharmonic]] conducted by [[Robert Stolz]].<ref>Stuart, Philip. [http://images.cch.kcl.ac.uk/charm/liv/pubs/DeccaComplete.pdf "Decca Classical, 1929–2009"]. Centre for the History and Analysis of Recorded Music, July 2009, accessed 11 May 2011</ref> A second recording with Schwarzkopf as Hanna was issued by Columbia in 1963; the other main roles were sung by [[Eberhard Wächter (baritone)|Eberhard Wächter]], Gedda and Hanny Steffek.<ref name=gram /> This set, conducted by [[Lovro von Matačić]], has been reissued on CD in EMI's "Great Recordings of the Century" series.<ref name=march>{{harvnb|March|2007|p=698}}</ref> Among later complete or substantially complete sets are those conducted by [[Herbert von Karajan]] with [[Elizabeth Harwood]] as Hanna (1972); [[Franz Welser-Möst]] with [[Felicity Lott]] (1993); and [[John Eliot Gardiner]] with [[Cheryl Studer]] (1994).<ref name=gram />

The Ackermann recording received the highest available rating in the 1956 ''[[The Record Guide]]''<ref name=sw /> and the later EMI set under Matačić is highly rated by the 2008 ''[[The Penguin Guide to Recorded Classical Music]]'',<ref name=march /> but [[Alan Blyth]] in his ''Opera on CD'' regrets the casting of a baritone as Danilo in both sets and prefers the 1958 Decca version.{{sfn|Blyth|1992|pp=138–139}} Among the filmed productions on DVD, the Penguin Guide recommends the one from the [[San Francisco Opera]], recorded live in 2001, conducted by [[Erich Kunzel]] and directed by [[Lotfi Mansouri]], with [[Yvonne Kenny]] as Hanna and [[Bo Skovhus]] as Danilo.<ref name=march />

==Adaptations==

===Ballet ===
With the permission of the Franz Lehár Estate, [[Robert Helpmann|Sir Robert Helpmann]] adapted the operetta's plot [[scenario]], while [[John Lanchbery]] and [[Alan Abbot]] adapted the operetta's music and composed additional music, for a three-act ballet. ''[[The Merry Widow (ballet)|The Merry Widow]]'' ballet, choreographed by [[Ronald Hynd]] with designs by [[Desmond Heeley]], was first performed on 13 November 1975 at the [[Palais Theatre]], Melbourne, by [[The Australian Ballet]].<ref>Weinberger, Joseph. [http://www.josef-weinberger.co.uk/mw/ballet.html "The Creation of ''The Merry Widow Ballet''"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071012141555/http://www.josef-weinberger.co.uk/mw/ballet.html |date=12 October 2007}}</ref> The ballet has been performed by [[American Ballet Theatre]], among other major companies.<ref>[https://www.abt.org/ballet/the-merry-widow "''The Merry Widow''"], ABT.org, accessed 22 August 2019</ref>

===Novelization===
In 1909, a novelization of the 1907 American adaptation of ''The Merry Widow'' was published anonymously.<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://play.google.com/books/reader?id=4f8TAAAAYAAJ&pg=GBS.PA1 |title=The Merry Widow: A Novel Founded on Franz Lehar's Viennese Opera, 'Die Lustige Witwe' as Produced by Henry W. Savage; Illustrations from Scenes in the American Production |date=1909 |publisher=G. W. Dillingham Company}}</ref>

===Films===
Various films have been made that are based loosely on the plot of the operetta:<ref name=MoreRevivals />
* [[The Merry Widow (1918 film)|Hungarian 1918 silent version]] by [[Michael Curtiz]]
* [[The Merry Widow (1925 film)|1925, US, silent version]] by [[Erich von Stroheim]], with [[John Gilbert (actor)|John Gilbert]] as Danilo and [[Mae Murray]] as Hanna
* [[The Merry Widow (1934 film)|1934, US, black-and-white version]], by [[Ernst Lubitsch]], starring [[Maurice Chevalier]] and [[Jeanette MacDonald]]; new lyrics were written by [[Lorenz Hart]] and [[Gus Kahn]].<ref>Nolan, Frederick. ''Lorenz Hart: A Poet on Broadway'', New York: Oxford University Press (1994), pp. 193 and 201</ref>
* [[The Merry Widow (1952 film)|1952, US, version]] in [[Technicolor]] starring [[Lana Turner]] and [[Fernando Lamas]]
* [[The Merry Widow (1962 film)|1962 Austrian version]] by [[Werner Jacobs]]

==Cultural references==
*The theme of "{{Lang|de|Da geh' ich zu Maxim|italic=no}}" was ironically cited by [[Dmitri Shostakovich|Shostakovich]] (''The Merry Widow'' was [[Hitler]]'s favourite operetta) in the first movement of his [[Symphony No. 7 (Shostakovich)|Symphony No. 7]].<ref>Mostel, Raphael. [http://www.tabletmag.com/scroll/188036/the-merry-widows-fling-with-hitler "''The Merry Widow's'' Fling with Hitler"], TabletMag.com, 30 December 2014, accessed 11 November 2016; and [http://www.shostakovich.com/may2002.html "Saturday 18th May 2002"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130928183028/http://www.shostakovich.com/may2002.html |date=2013-09-28 }}. London Shostakovich Orchestra, accessed 4 January 2011</ref>
*"The Merry Widow Waltz" is a recurring theme in the 1943 films ''[[Shadow of a Doubt]]'', directed by [[Alfred Hitchcock]] and scored by [[Dimitri Tiomkin]],<ref>Crogan, Patrick. [http://sensesofcinema.com/2000/6/heads/ "Between Heads: Thoughts on the Merry Widow Tune in ''Shadow of a Doubt''"], ''[[Senses of Cinema]]'', May 2000, accessed May 23, 2014</ref> as well as in ''[[Heaven Can Wait (1943 film)|Heaven Can Wait]]'' by [[Ernst Lubitsch]].<ref>Alpert, Robert. [http://sensesofcinema.com/2012/feature-articles/ernst-lubitsch-and-nancy-meyers-a-study-on-movie-love-in-the-classic-and-post-modernist-traditions/ "Ernst Lubitsch and Nancy Meyers: A Study on Movie Love in the Classic and Post-Modernist Traditions"], ''Senses of Cinema'', March 2012, accessed 3 July 2014</ref>
*Part of "The Merry Widow Waltz" is played by a music box and sung by the character Winnie in [[Samuel Beckett]]'s play ''[[Happy Days (play)|Happy Days]].''<ref>{{Cite book |last=Beckett |first=Samuel |title=Happy Days |series=The Complete Dramatic Works |publisher=Faber and Faber |year=1990 |isbn=0571144861 |location=London |pages=135–168}}</ref>

==References==
=== Notes ===
{{reflist|colwidth=30em}}

=== Sources ===
* {{cite book|last=Blyth|first=Alan|author-link=Alan Blyth|title=Opera on CD|location=London|publisher=Kyle Cathie|year=1992|isbn=1-85626-103-4}}
* {{cite book|last=Grün|first=Bernard|author-link=Bernard Grün|title=Gold and Silver: The Life and Times of Franz Lehár|location=New York|publisher=David McKay|year=1970}}
* {{cite book|editor-last=March|editor-first=Ivan|title=Penguin Guide to Recorded Classical Music 2008|location=London|publisher=Penguin Books|year=2007|isbn=978-0-14-103336-5}}
* {{cite book|last1=Sackville-West|first1=Edward|author-link=Edward Sackville-West, 5th Baron Sackville|last2=Shawe-Taylor|first2=Desmond|author-link2=Desmond Shawe-Taylor (music critic)|title=The Record Guide|location=London|publisher=Collins|year=1956|oclc=500373060}}

==Further reading==
* Bordman, Gerald. ''American Operetta''. New York: Oxford University Press, 1981.
* [[Kurt Gänzl|Gänzl, Kurt]]. [http://operetta-research-center.org/die-lustige-witwe-operette-3-acts/ ''The Merry Widow''] in ''The Encyclopedia of Musical Theatre'' (3 volumes). New York: Schirmer Books, 2001.
* [[Richard Traubner|Traubner, Richard]]. ''Operetta: A Theatrical History''. Garden City, New York: Doubleday & Company, 1983

==External links==
{{Commons category|Die lustige Witwe|The Merry Widow}}
* [http://www.aria-database.com/translations/lustige_witwe.txt Libretto] {{in lang|de|en}}
* {{IMSLP|work=Die lustige Witwe (Lehár, Franz)|cname=''Die lustige Witwe''}}
* {{Almanacco|dmy=30-12-1905|match=Die lustige Witwe}}
* [https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/search/index?utf8=%E2%9C%93&keywords=The+Merry+Widow Photos from productions of ''The Merry Widow''], [[New York Public Library]]
* [https://www.imdb.com/find?q=merry%20widow;s=tt IMDb search page for ''Merry Widow'']
* {{YouTube|EQGA1GpSCJg|Clip from the Metropolitan Opera}}

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[[Category:The Merry Widow| ]]
[[Category:1905 operas]]
[[Category:German-language operettas]]
[[Category:Operas by Franz Lehár]]
[[Category:Operas based on plays]]
[[Category:Operas set in Paris]]
[[Category:Operas]]