The Stage

The Merry Widow

Published Wednesday 7 April 2004 at 15:55 by James Green

This new production marks the 100th anniversary of the most commercially successful light opera ever written and one which changed musical theatre forever.

Since 1905 it has played throughout the world, pioneered in marketing with sheet music, recordings, and merchandise, been filmed three times and paved the way for Showboat and today’s blockbuster musicals.

While still set in the Paris of Maxim’s and the Moulin Rouge, it has been given a modern tweak and even a jazzy buck and wing routine. As the Merry Widow of the title, Jan Hartley looks like a million dollars, is in fact worth 20 million and has a voice that money cannot buy. She is the Queen Bee and attracts fortune hunters like honey. All, that is, except the strong romantic lead, Karl Daymond, who looks like a young Mario Lanza and whether rejecting or falling for her makes a powerful impact vocally. While Victor Spinetti is a delight cornering the pompous comedy as the cuckolded baron and ambassador.

Despite the fact that the Carl Rosa operates three touring companies without sponsorship or public funding - cries of shame - this present company has 66 members and musicians and a stage cast of 29 singers. Among them are David Curry as Camille, Deborah Myers as the baron’s philandering wife and Garth Bardsley.

The show is superbly dressed in start of the century fashions and judging by how tuneful so many of the familiar songs remain, there is no reason why this particular widow should not continue weaving her spell for the next century.