Lehár

The Merry Widow

5–16 January 2021

Lehár

The Merry Widow

5–16 January 2021

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Venue

Joan Sutherland Theatre, Sydney Opera House
Bennelong Point, Sydney

Language

Sung in English

Running time

approximately 2 hours & 55 minutes, including two intervals

Please note

This performance contains flashing light effects

Let’s waltz, let’s sway the night away.
It’s time for a little romance.

Sway, smile and swoon your way through our delicious production of The Merry Widow.

It’s an opulent party, all glitz and glamour and Parisian charm. It’s an old-fashioned romance, flirty and funny and fabulous. It’s a Viennese waltz and you know all the steps.

The Merry Widow is a “shimmering all-singing, all-dancing Broadway-style show” (The Sydney Morning Herald), a frothy comedy packed with familiar waltzes and tuneful melodies.

From the sumptuous Art Deco era costumes to the stunning, geometric sets, the show is “visually stunning … sometimes you simply don’t know where to look” (The Sydney Morning Herald).

Julie Lea Goodwin plays the bubbly, beautiful Hanna: newly wealthy, newly widowed, and suddenly the hottest catch in town. Expect sizzling chemistry with Alexander Lewis as her love interest Danilo Danilovich, as the pair reunite after their acclaimed season of West Side Story on Sydney Harbour.

Graeme Murphy brings his signature brand of lively choreography and deft direction to the dance-packed score.

This production of The Merry Widow was commissioned by the Opera Conference, Australia’s national partnership of professional opera companies.

Cast & Creative

Conductor
Brian Castles-Onion AM (Evenings)
Paul Fitzsimon (Matinees)
Director & Choreographer
Graeme Murphy AO
Creative Associate
Janet Vernon AM
Revival Director & Choreographer
Shane Placentino
English translation by
Justin Fleming
Set Designer
Michael Scott-Mitchell
Costume Designer
Jennifer Irwin
Lighting Designer
Damien Cooper
Sound Designer
Tony David Cray
Hanna Glavari
Julie Lea Goodwin
Danilo Danilovich
Alexander Lewis
Baron Mirko Zeta
David Whitney
Valencienne
Stacey Alleaume
Camille de Rosillon
Virgilio Marino
Njegus
Benjamin Rasheed
Alexis Kromov
Richard Anderson

Opera Australia Orchestra & Opera Australia Chorus

Dominik Bogdanovich
Alexander Hargreaves (5, 6, 7 January)
Andrew Moran (8, 9, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16 January)
Sylviane
Jane Ede
Raoul de St. Brioche
Brad Cooper
Viscount Nicolas Cascada
Luke Gabbedy
Olga Kromov
Angela Hogan
Konrad Pritschich
Tom Hamilton
Praskovia
Dominica Matthews

Cheat Sheet: The Merry Widow

All you need to know about Lehár's opulent operetta

What happens in the story? Who was the composer? What should I expect from the music? Here’s everything you need to know…

Read the cheat sheet

Video: Dance Rehearsals

See our cast in action

Meet our glamorous leading couple and take a peek inside the rehearsal room for Graeme Murphy’s all-singing, all-dancing production of The Merry Widow.

Watch the video

The Story

The tiny state of Pontevedro is bankrupt. Their only hope of financial salvation lies in Hanna, a beautiful widow who inherited her husband’s fortune. The Pontevedrians must convince her to marry a local, lest she take her fortune to foreign shores.

But she’s got a history with the man they’ve got in mind, and there are many twists and turns on the road to falling in love again.

Let’s waltz, let’s sway the night away.
It’s time for a little romance.

Not afraid of spoilers? Read the full synopsis

The Merry Widow at Sydney Opera House (2021)

Photo: Prudence Upton

The Merry Widow at Sydney Opera House (2021)

Photo: Prudence Upton

The Merry Widow at Sydney Opera House (2021)

Photo: Prudence Upton

The Merry Widow at Sydney Opera House (2021)

Photo: Prudence Upton

The Merry Widow at Sydney Opera House (2021)

Photo: Prudence Upton

The Merry Widow at Sydney Opera House (2021)

Photo: Prudence Upton

The Merry Widow at Sydney Opera House (2021)

Photo: Prudence Upton

The Merry Widow at Sydney Opera House (2021)

Photo: Prudence Upton

The Merry Widow at Sydney Opera House (2021)

Photo: Prudence Upton

Covid Safe logo

Keeping you safe at the theatre

COVID Safety at Sydney Opera House

The Sydney Opera House and its food and beverage venues are registered as COVID Safe businesses with the NSW Government. To ensure a safe and comfortable environment for everyone, the Opera House has made some changes to the way it operates.

Read our plan

Enjoy dinner before the opera

Overture Dining at Sydney Opera House

Allow us to make your dinner reservation for you: 6pm at Overture Dining in the Northern Foyer of the Joan Sutherland Theatre. You’ll be served a themed three-course menu for just $75, including a glass of NV First Creek ‘Botanica’ Sparkling Cuvee on arrival.

See the menu

Complete your night out with Ovolo Hotels

Make a night out of your opera experience and stay at Ovolo Woolloomooloo and Ovolo 1888 Darling Harbour. Enjoy up to 15% off on your stay.

Find out more