The Merry Widow
★★★★★ Scintillating
Festival Theatre: 29 May – 7 June 2025
Review by Rebecca Mahar
Scottish Opera presents a scintillating new adaptation of Franz Lehár’s The Merry Widow at the Festival Theatre, bringing its setting into the twentieth century, and its sensibilities into the twenty-first.
Originally a German operetta adapting a French play, this version of The Merry Widow, a co-production with D’Oyly Carte Opera and Opera Holland Park, features a new English translation by David Eaton (lyrics) and John Savournin (book), the latter of whom also directs the piece.
The company of Scottish Opera’s The Merry Widow. Pic: Mihaela Bodlovic
The curtain rises in 1950s New York City, where mafia boss Don Zeta (Henry Waddington) is celebrating his 50th birthday. He is also celebrating the recent widowing of Mrs. Hanna Glawari (Paula Sides), a Tennessee girl formerly resident in New York.
With her twenty-million-dollar inheritance in the Sicilian lemon trade a tempting prize, Zeta plots to marry her off to a member of his organization to keep the money in the “family”. Zeta selects his consigliere, Danilo (Alex Otterburn), for the job— but unbeknownst to Zeta, Hanna and Danilo were together for several years prior to her marriage, and left their romance an unresolved mess.
central crux
This will-they-won’t-they marriage plot is the central crux of the operetta, with Hanna and Danilo constantly being drawn together, even as other members of Zeta’s mob vie for her attention, and Zeta’s wife Valentina (Rhian Lois) conducts a not-so-discreet affair with the French jazz singer Camille de Rosillon (William Morgan).
Alex Otterburn (Danilo) and Henry Waddington (Don Zeta) in Scottish Opera’s production of The Merry Widow. Pic: Mihaela Bodlovic.
The Merry Widow represents a transitional moment in operetta, away from the “light” entertainment of its predecessors and towards a deeper exploration of humanity in the form; a clear ancestor of modern musical theatre. This is most fully demonstrated in Hanna Glawari herself, and Paula Sides has risen to the challenge.
Sides dazzles as the titular widow, delivering clear and effortless vocals alongside an energetic physical performance. Unafraid to embrace the silliness that this operetta retains from its Gilbert and Sullivan forbears, Sides also embodies its turn towards truer and deeper emotion with laudable range.
a treat to hear
She is well-matched by Alex Otterburn as Danilo, who swivels easily between the brash I’ll-never-say-love consigliere, and the adoring ex-who-missed-his-chance, hiding heartbreak even as he bleeds longing all over the stage. A rare romantic lead opportunity for a baritone, Otterburn’s Danilo is a treat to hear.
Paula Sides (Hanna Glawari) in Scottish Opera’s production of The Merry Widow. Pic: Mihaela Bodlovic.
Sides and Otterburn maintain their characters’ endless sparring in exceptional balance with the fact that Hanna and Danilo can’t help but dance— and love each other, whatever they might say.
The rest of The Merry Widow’s world is populated by equally excellent and detailed performances. Matthew Kellett is brilliant as capo Nicky Negus, overexcitable with his garrote and running about trying to keep things under control. Valentina Zeta is played perfectly over-the-top by Rhian Lois, in a role that requires a deep embracing of the aforementioned silliness — but the maintenance of enough heart to make the audience care, which she achieves.
Matthew Siveter and Amy J Payne are a highlight as Mr. Kromow, a Russian mobster, and his wife Olga. Vocally, physically, comically, they make the absolute most of every moment they appear.
ricochet about the stage
Similarly, the dynamic — if antagonistic — duo of Carmelo Cascada (Christopher Nairne) and Sam Briochi (Connor James Smith) ricochet about the stage in matching-suits opposition without ever letting up on their energy.
Connor James Smith (Sam Briochi), and Christopher Nairne (Carmelo Cascada) in The Merry Widow. Credit Mihaela Bodlovic.
Savournin and Eaton’s writing changes the setting and time period of the piece, of course, but also manages to give its women increased agency and power, and excises some of the more misogynistic elements of earlier versions.
It is also delightfully rude, mostly at the expense of the men, with many references to “firing off rounds”, the size of salamis, and keeping pistols lowered— as well as an extremely cheeky exclamation about the stealing of lemons that seems too prominent to be a coincidence. IYKYK.
pulls out all the stops
Design elements are all-around lush, with detailed and versatile set and gorgeous costumes by takis, with associate Lisa Bondu. The interior scenes are beautifully lit by Ben Pickersgill with a relative naturalism. In the scenes at Hanna’s Sicilian villa, however, Pickersgill pulls out all the stops, splashing out with saturated colours and bathing the set in luxurious evening and night.
Rhian Lois (Valentina) in Scottish Opera’s production of The Merry Widow. Pic: Mihaela Bodlovic.
The Merry Widow is everything it promises and more, and everything one could want from it: something old and beloved transformed into something new and sparkling; wit and humour; angst and pathos. Beautiful vocal performances and heartfelt acting are mixed with a bit of slapstick, which all somehow melds into a cohesive whole.
Most of all, it makes you believe that Hanna Glawari is free and she’ll do what the hell she wants.
Running time: Two hours and twenty minutes (including one interval)
Festival Theatre, 13-29 Nicolson Street EH8 9FT
Thurs 29 May; Sun 1, Thurs 5, Sat 7 June 2025
Evenings (not Sun): 7:15pm; Sun 1: 3pm
Tickets and details: Book here.
Access performances: The 1 June performance will be audio described and have a touch tour before the show.
His Majesty’s Theatre, Rosemount Viaduct, Aberdeen, AB25 1GL
Thurs 12, Sat 14 June 2025
Evenings: 7.15m
Tickets and details: Book here.
Opera Holland Park, 37 Pembroke Road, London W8 6PW.
Thur 19, Sat 21, Wed 25, Fri 27 & sat 28 June 2025
Evenings: 7.30pm
Tickets and details: Book here.
Scottish Opera’s production of The Merry Widow. Pic: Mihaela Bodlovic.
ENDS
