Merry Widow

Merry Widow

Beautiful melodies, wit and swing - that's the operetta The Merry Widow

One of the most famous operettas of all time, Franz Lehár's The Merry Widow, is a co-production of the Karlín Music Theatre and the J. K. Tyl Theatre in Pilsen. The production, directed by Martin Otava and conducted by Norbert Baxa, will premiere on 24 January 2019 on the stage of the Karlín Music Theatre, and on 2 February 2019 the operetta will be presented for the first time in Pilsen. In the main roles, the audience will see, among others, Lívia Obručník Vénosová, Pavla Břínková, Michaela Nosková, Vlastimil Zavrel, Jan Ježek, Aleš Briscein, Roman Hoza and Dalibor Gondík.

By combining the Pilsen theatre with the leading musical and operetta stage, the Karlín Musical Theatre, a production will be created that will offer an extraordinary musical, vocal and visual experience."I am of course delighted with this collaboration not only as the director of the theatre, because it will allow us to offer the audience a truly elegant and aesthetic show, but also as a director and a person who has fond memories of his time at the Karlín Musical Theatre," explains the director of the production and director of DJKT Martin Otava.

The Merry Widow, the classic operetta title from the silver age of Viennese operetta that made composer Franz Lehár famous, brings, in addition to famous melodies such as By Maxim I Have Known, The Song of Vilje and Women, Women, a witty and lively libretto that still entertains audiences around the world and its staging is not shunned by renowned opera houses. In The Merry Widow, Franz Lehár proved that even operetta can endure the strictest artistic standards. "A great emphasis is then placed on the quality of the cast, which handles singing, acting and dancing with bravura. I consider the genre of classical operetta to be very demanding due to the all-round requirements placed on all performers," notes conductor Norbert Baxa. The title role of the Merry Widow, the elegant Hana Glawari, will be played by soprano Lívia Obručník Vénos. "I first encountered The Merry Widow seven years ago, it was my first operetta and at the same time a great lesson." recalls Lívia Obručník Vénosová."Especially working with the then director of the production, Jan Ježek, brought me a lot of valuable experience, which I now intend to put to good use."

The Merry Widow will be interesting not only in terms of singing, but it will also be pleasing to the eye of lovers of classical operetta. The set was designed by Lukáš Kuchinka, who has worked with leading theatres in the Czech Republic (National Theatre Brno, Vinohrady Theatre) and abroad. "Audiences can look forward to a spectacular show inspired by the Art Deco and Sececece styles." promises Kuchinka. The costume designer is Dana Haklová, who has worked on hundreds of productions across the Czech Republic. She has also worked abroad, notably in Finland, Poland, Norway and Bulgaria. She created the costumes for the first stage production of the musical Les Misérables at the Vinohrady Theatre in Prague. "Costumes should harmonize not only with the music but also with the scene, so I (as well as the set designer) am inspired by the Art Nouveau and Art Deco periods. The Merry Widow, however, also offers the possibility to let the imagination run wild, for example in the portrayal of the 'Pontevedere costume' and the uniforms of the Pontevedere officials based on it. And what would an operetta be without a cancan? And better inspiration than the paintings of Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec?" speaks Dana Haklová about her inspiration.