Set in the Pontevedrian Embassy in Paris in 1880, the show opens at a colourful ball hosted by the pompous middle-aged ambassador, Baron Zeta (baritone, David Roberts).  The fate of their country is in the hands of the widow Madame Glavari (soprano, Kendall Geisler), a simple country girl who married a wealthy banker and, on his death, inherited his twenty millions.  If she marries a foreigner and takes her money out of the country then Pontevedro will be bankrupt.  From the beginning, foreign diplomats, St Brioche (Bob Daniel) and Cascada (Christian Pollnitz), lead a contingent of men vying for the hand of the widow.

To save the day the Baron calls on his attaché, Count Danilo Danilovitch (baritone, Toby Gajewski) to woo her.  However, unbeknown to the Baron, this handsome playboy is already in love with her, but having previously been forbidden from marrying the lowly country girl, he is less than enthusiastic.  Intrigues at the embassy between Baron Zeta’s wife, Valencienne (soprano, Kaila Barton), and the aristocratic Frenchman Count de Rosillon (tenor, Anthony Little) complicate the situation further.

The Merry Widow abounds with delightful music, from the ever-popular Merry Widow Waltz, to the lively Women! Women! Women!, the comic Driving in the Park and, perhaps the best known of all, Vilia, making it one of the most loved operettas of all.  The Newry Studio of Irish Dance provide a delightful sextet of Grisettes (dancers from Maxim’s) to entertain guests. Add in a comic trio of aristocratic ladies (Carmine Clarke, Margot Sage and Sandra Fameli), the baron’s downtrodden factotum, Njegus (Sean Nugent), a talented orchestra under the baton of Helen Loveday, choreography by Deborah Proeve and colourful costumes of the era to complete a truly wonderful show.

The Merry Widow is directed by Pam Tucker.

Bookings: phone  8294 6582