Have you seen or are you planning to see The Merry Widow? What do you think about the production?
This blog serves as a place to voice your thoughts, ask your questions, and post your reviews of the show. Posting a review enters you into our Weekly Review Competition, with the most insightful review each week receiving a double pass to an opera of choice in 2011.
Instructions for posting a comment or review:
1. Scroll to the bottom of the comments section
2. Enter your review in the main text box, including your name and email address
3. From the 'Comment as:' drop-down menu, select 'Anonymous'
This blog serves as a place to voice your thoughts, ask your questions, and post your reviews of the show. Posting a review enters you into our Weekly Review Competition, with the most insightful review each week receiving a double pass to an opera of choice in 2011.
Instructions for posting a comment or review:
1. Scroll to the bottom of the comments section
2. Enter your review in the main text box, including your name and email address
3. From the 'Comment as:' drop-down menu, select 'Anonymous'
4. Press the 'Post Comment' button.
About The Merry Widow:
The diplomats are desperate, the financiers are flapping and the markets are melting down. Only one thing can save the Kingdom of Pontevedro from imminent bankruptcy. Someone must marry the glamorous and very wealthy widow, Hanna Glawari!
The diplomats are desperate, the financiers are flapping and the markets are melting down. Only one thing can save the Kingdom of Pontevedro from imminent bankruptcy. Someone must marry the glamorous and very wealthy widow, Hanna Glawari!
The Merry Widow waltzes into town in a flurry of ball gowns and fans, top hats and tails. Giles Havergal directs this eye-catching new production that combines nineteenth-century glamour with twenty-first century artistry.
At the heart of The Merry Widow is a love story. Hanna is the wise and beautiful widow, and Danilo is the lofty idealist. Watch them spar, squabble and flirt even as the music reveals their perfect harmony. Will this obstinately unromantic couple ever get together?
Went to the opening night of The Merry Widow last night...it was fantastic. The sets and costumes were great, the staging and choreography were amazing...and then the music, the dancing, and best of all the wonderful voices of the cast. A very nostalgic and rewarding night. It's been ages since I've seen this operetta, and to see it again, so well performed, was a real privilege! Well done Opera Australia.
ReplyDeleteThe Merry Widow proved to be a glamorous, indulgent experience on Aug 4 as I had the best seat and sat next to Yvonne Kenny's step brother. I was wowed with the set design and the fantastic lighting which complimented the highly skilled stars who all appeared to have the look of enjoyment on their faces. High praises goes to Amelia Ferrugia who was very light on her toes during the waltz as we all know that Mr Hobson has been known to be two left feet at times. Hobson was boyishly charming and yet portrayed his character with charisma. I would recommend this performance to any opera prejudiced persons.
ReplyDeleteThe new production of The Merry Widow at OA is exciting and will be popular, a big seller. It ticks all the boxes.
ReplyDeleteI spent nearly a year in Vienna and was immersed in the music and the culture of the place, learning German but not understanding completely by any means. The feeling of the rhythms and the music became immured in me for a lifetime.
To see a contemporary Merry Widow in excellent, cleverly rhyming, idiomatic, often Aussie English was a big surprise. Is that what the opera was really about? Is that what they were saying? Often it was hard to believe, even allowing for updating. I could not decide if understanding was off-putting or not.
Both sopranos outsung their stalwart male partners. Difference in voice quality was startling.
I cannot figure out what was wrong with David Hobson- he is comely and tuneful but seemed like a puppet on a string, gangling legs, awkward poses, insubstantial. Too much vibrato. There was certainly no chemistry between him and Amelia.
So I began to ask, how much of this production was meant to be a take-off? The sets and women’s consumes were garish and the latter unnecessarily lumpy. Was this comic deliberation? Normally I am extremely impressed with OA sets and costumes- elegant, tasteful, chic, appropriate- in such diverse recent productions as La Boheme, Capriccio, Partenope. Even raunchy La Fanciulla was beautifully dressed in her way.
This must be a joke: those chandeliers!
The stage was made to seem smaller than ever, crowded.
The men were winners, both in dress and performance, timing: utterly delightful.
The orchestra was correct.
Did Hanna use different accents over her Pontevedrian English? None of the accented English appealed to me.
I recall Valery Gergiev conducting the Vienna Philharmonic here and for the last encore, the orchestra played waltzes. He stood back against his podium and just smiled. He did not do anything.
That was the difference. Those Strauss waltzes were in the very bones of the musicians. Lehar is not in the bones of Sydney. There was great entertainment, much to laugh at and admire, and many, if not most people will have a very enjoyable evening.
When I was in Vienna I was listening to the music with deep feeling, not understanding, and receiving pleasure for a lifetime. Here I watched and understood , and was unmoved.
The Merry Widow was a very lavish production. The costumes sparkled, the voices soared and the music was enchanting. The sets set the scenes and we did enjoy the playfulness of all the interactions on the stage.
ReplyDeleteThe voices reached us up "in the gods", however when the singers were "talking" it was very hard to understand the dialogue(as there are no auto cues for the speaking parts) and so some of the plot was missing for us.
It was, though,a very enjoyable night with music dance and song which was a delight to watch.
Judith Barr-David
judybd@optusnet.com.au
An uplifting, foot-tapping, refreshing performance is how I would sum up an amazing evening of song and dance at the latest production of the Merry Widow.
ReplyDeleteThis charming operetta had everything:- romance, deceit, mischief, comedy, dance, acting. As a musician, I have only ever performed certain pieces from this Operetta....but to hear the music and songs played out in front of you was absolutely spell- binding.
I fell in love with the lush costumes and sets and of course those wonderful, memorable tunes which I had to silently hum in my head. Astounding vocalists, excellent choral singing supported by a superb orchestra made for a most enjoyable and memorable night. Thankyou Opera Australia for bringing this light- hearted operetta to Sydney audiences!
Ingrid Little
littlei@abbotsleigh.nsw.edu.au
Hats off to Opera Australia! Lots of infectious enthusiasm from onstage
ReplyDeletein the current production of Lehar's"The Merry Widow"triggered off a happy response from the audience, who even managed to get into the action with some spontaneous rhythmic applause in "Cherchez La Femme!!"
The principals turned in enjoyable performances, with the exciting voices of
Amelia Farrugia and David Hobson ringing out with ease to the back rows,
ably balanced by those of Henry Choo and Sian Pendry as Valencienne and de Rossillion.
The chorus & dancers backed them up superbly
David Lewis, as Valencienne's cuckolded husband, made the most of his role, rewarded by giggles from the audience.
The English translation managed to swing alarmingly from the formal English libretto in "Vilya" etc which appeared in the surtitles, to the downright colloquial dialogue designed to draw laughs.
Which, however patchy, it did, adding to the enjoyment.
The colloquialisms worked well in suggesting Hanna's humble origins, as did the short mimed
scene which accompanied the overture.
Of the cast, David Hobson's diction was the most successful,his lines clearly reaching every part of the house.
There was good work as usual from the orchestra,here under Andrew Greene
The use of one set,varied from scene to scene by moving the statues & chandeliers and adding
ingenious lighting was clever, although may have disappointed those used to seeing lavish
Parisian interiors.
All in all, a very enjoyable evening.
Jann Burrows, 29 Rothwell Road, Turramurra NSW 2074
I’m a bit of an opera newbie. I don’t know the music. I don’t know the composers. I don’t know the performers. But after seeing The Merry Widow on Thursday night, I do know one thing: I love it.
ReplyDeleteIt was a cold night outside, but warm in the large yet cosy theatre. The last thing I remember before the curtain rose was wondering what time the bus home left, but then I was swept up into another world and a fantastic story. I knew opera could be serious and dramatic, but this was fun and frivolous along with the drama and passion I had been expecting.
Here’s the deal: Hanna’s husband has died, leaving her an outrageous amount of money. To stop her from remarrying a foreigner and sending their country into debt, Baron Zeta attempts to set Hanna up with his nephew, Danilo. But Hanna and Danilo have met before in a rendezvous that left both their hearts broken and embittered towards one another. So instead of declaring love, they declare war.
Amelia Farrugia and David Hobson took on the characters of Hanna and Danilo with a relish that had me laughing as they exchanged witty banter. I found myself grinning and enjoyed getting frustrated as they tried to wound one another with their words even though it was clear they were both still smitten. I happened to be in a pocket of the audience that responded enthusiastically to the two leads sparring (and indeed to the whole show), which added an extra element of delight to the performance. John Bolton Wood played a lovable yet oblivious Baron Zeta who, while playing matchmaker with Hanna and Danilo, is blind to his own wife’s wandering attentions. I loved watching him endearingly bumble his way about the stage.
I found the set to be tacky and fake in a way that embodied the underlying motif of façade. There was a sense of something inauthentic in the design that reflected the hidden motivations of many of the characters as they danced in their glamorous costumes.
The singing was stunning and an extension of the spoken performances. The music itself was lush and so much fun. The orchestra (Side newbie note: how awesome is it to have a full orchestra right there in front of you?) played with zeal and a spring that was infectious. So much so that the audience joined in twice, clapping along in time with the music.
As I left the theatre still caught up in the story and with other patrons humming pieces from the show around me, I knew I had entered a world that was both larger than life and deeply personal. Though the costumes and the set and the music were extravagant, the emotions that the characters felt were not. And it was those core emotions that stayed with this opera newcomer as she caught her bus home that night. Along with some very hummable tunes.
Bek Baldwin
affirmed_hope@hotmail.com
Our enjoyment of The Merry Widow, a story of a rich widow from a poor country who must be persuaded to marry someone from her own country or it will go bankrupt, began in the Opera House parking station lift. My wife asked the young lady in the lift with us if she was going to The Merry Widow. To our surprise and delight, she replied, "I am the Merry Widow." It was Amelia Farrugia, and she generously took the time to describe for us some of the features of the current production, including the use of a revised translation.
ReplyDeleteLooking at the production overall, I thought that the staging was disciplined, with relatively simple props, possibly designed so as not to distract from the wit of the dialogue or the quality of the singing. The use of surtitles for the songs was especially helpful for hearing impaired people like me. However, why not pilot surtitles also for the dialogue? Predictability is a key part of hearing while unpredictability is part of the nature of humorous exchanges, and so such dialogue is not easily grasped by the hearing impaired. The waltzes and folk dances played an important part, but did not dominate, with the focus of the operetta being more on voice rather than movement. (The odd cast member seemed to need a little more work on the waltz.)
I wondered if the production playfully toyed with the audience's knowledge of other musicals. For example, one theme was the difficulty that men have in understanding and managing women, a common theme for many musicals, such as My Fair Lady. When Count Danilo (David Hobson) exclaimed, "Damn, damn, damn!" I thought that he was going to continue with, "I've grown accustomed to her face." (Perhaps the borrowing of ideas went the other way.) In regard to the current libretto translation, I thought that it was imaginative, at times very humorous, but just occasionally an expression did not sit well with me.
In regard to individual performances, John Bolton Wood as Baron Mirko Zeta gave a masterful performance, puppeteer-like holding the strings that brought everything together. Amelia Farrugia played the Countess Hanna, the Merry Widow, with studied detail, commanding the attention that the role required. This was especially evident in her rendition of Vilja, when I could feel a dense silence throughout the theatre, a higher level of attention, with every part of every person attuned to her and her voice. For me, this was the highlight, a moment to remember always. David Hobson presented a convincing portrayal of a wounded, perhaps petulant, lover. Sian Pendry gave a delightful interpretation of the character of Baroness Valencienne Zeta, the flirtatious wife of Baron Zeta, while Henry Choo, as the lover of Baroness Valencienna, impressed me with the quality of his voice. The rest of the main characters all gave well integrated performances, with a highlight being the male cast members' rendition of Cherchez La Femme.
In all, the combination of the performance of the orchestra conducted by Andrew Green, the smoothly flowing and enthusiastic presentation by the entire cast, and some excellent acting and singing produced a memorable experience. There was no Anna Farrugia in the parking station lift on our way back to our car, but her performance and that of the rest of the cast had become part of us.
Paul Casey
pjmecasey@gmail.com
The last opera of the season for us on 15 October and it was wonderful.
ReplyDeleteDavid Hobson is just the most wonderful singer in my world and with Amelia Farrugia in this Merry widow was as good (well almost) as with Cheryl Barker in in La Boheme 1990, and that is the greatest performance I have ever seen.
And Sian Pendry has a great voice and was a wonderful flirtatious wife.
David Stewart
dtsmls@hunterlink.net.au
We have just retuned to WA from seeing The Merry Widow on October 15 2011.
ReplyDeleteThis must be the happiest and most fun filled production of the Merry Widow ever. The entire cast are to be congratulated.The vibes from their enthusiam and joy was passed on to the audience from the moment the curtain was raised.
Amelia Farrugia as Hanna was delightful and in good form. Her English north country accent which we heard from time to time was intruiging.
For me the star of the show was David Hobson. He sang with such ease and his voice throughout was,as always,of that luxurious quality. His impish mannerisms kept me inthralled and made certain that not one bit of fun was missed! His dancing and footwork were equally precise.
I loved the way 'Vilja' was brought in to the plot. Sometimes in the past I have had to work hard to understand the meaning. Like me, I felt that a very happy audience left the Opera House feeling on top of the world and wishing we could have had at least one more encore.
Congratulations to Opera Australia and to all the Cast. Operettas such as these will help to get more simple folk like me into enjoying opera.
Wilda Tallentire petal4@hotkey.net.au
October 19 2011
I went to the opening night of the Melbourne production last night and enjoyed the music and the singing, in spite of the fact that several of the cast were using microphones.
ReplyDeleteThe sets were new and I suppose it is good to freshen things up from time to time. Personally, I thought the sets from the previous production were better.
But the libretto! What is going on? The recicativo was sometimes smutty and over-worked with repeated directions to "go into the front hall" (or was that "hole") and one hope that "he will polka you as well as he polka-ed me." Peurile!
At lest two arias were cut altogether and those that remained were re-written (in English) very poorly. The Merry Widow waltz had some immortal lines such as "Love unspoken, faith unbroken" which were completely discarded in favour of very pedestrian and unmemorable replacements.
I am afraid this production of a charming operetta suffered from a bad dose of burlesque.
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteI am glad to find your impressive way of writing the post. Now it become easy for me to understand and implement the concept. Thanks for sharing the post.
ReplyDelete