"... highly enjoyable. Quips about Capitol Hill and marriage, clever staging ... The decadent atmosphere of champagne and jewels added to the fun." —Washington Post

Franz Lehár's

THE MERRY WIDOW

directed by Hal Simons with music direction by N. Thomas Pedersen
choreography by Pauline Grossman

April 12 to 22, 2007
at the Atlas Performing Arts Center

Cascada (Thomas Hedgpeth), Zozo (Michelle Hill), and Maxim's Grisettes

Even though it’s now one hundred and one years old, our production will be as fresh as when the work premiered! With its Art Nouveau trappings, glorious score, delightful dances, and charming characters, it should be obvious why this enduring work is equally at home—and very welcome—on the stages of both musical theatre and classical opera.

It’s our goal to honor the time period it was written in. Think of a bottle of Perrier-Jouet Champagne—label and all! We also want to take advantage of the Atlas’ intimate feeling, imbuing the witty dialogue and heartfelt moments with subtlety and nuance. I find great parallels between the leading couple of The MerryWidow and Shakespeare’s warring lovers of Much Ado About Nothing, Beatrice and Benedick, with a bit of Amanda and Elyot from Coward’s Private Lives thrown in for good measure. The fun in all of them is our knowing they are going to end up together, and watching them get out of their own way in order to do so.

The Merry Widow created a sensation with its American debut in 1907. We hope to recreate that same sensation in 2007, one hundred years later!

—Hal Simons, director