Opera Scotland

Lustige Witwe 1923George Edwardes' Company

Read more about the opera Merry Widow

The Merry Widow had enjoyed great success when introduced to Britain in 1907. Then it had toured widely, usually under the management of George Edwardes, but during the dark days of wartime its middle-European jollity must have seemed inappropriate. With the roaring twenties getting into their stride it was revived. This lavish staging visited Dundee after Glasgow and before opening once again at Daly's Theatre in the West End, where it was hugely popular, transferring to the Lyceum.

Additional Scottish dates to be confirmed.

Retained from 1907 was the English performing version with lyrics by Adrian Ross and new book (for this was regarded as musical comedy, rather than operetta) by Edward Morton and Basil Hood. This resulted in a wholesale renaming of characters, so Hanna became Sonia, Baron Zeta was now Popoff and his wife Natalie. Camille became known as Jolidon, and Njegus, the Embassy secretary was renamed Nisch. Quite why the name Danilo escaped the adaptors' attentions has to remain a mystery.

As for the performers, they presented a star cast. George Graves, as the Baron, was returning to a role he had created for the London stage in 1907. Evelyn Laye was already established as a leading performer, and would remain at the top of the tree through to the nineteen sixties. Carl Brisson, a Danish performer, was a talented singer, dancer and actor, who would remain hugely popular as a matinee idol in Britain for years to come. This staging of the Widow was the big break that made him a star. And the career of W H Rawlins reached back to Victorian times.