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KEY:
YEAR
City - Title, Date, Theatre, # of performances
Noteworthy Cast & notes
1905
Vienna - Der Lustige Witwe, 12/30, Theater an der Wein, 400+
Mizzi Gunther (Hannah), Louis Treumann (Danilo) - The premiere
production transferred to the Raimundtheater and the Volksopera,
returning to the Theater an der Wein in September 1907.
1906
Hamburg - Der Lustige Witwe, 3/3, Neues Operetten-Theater,
250
Berlin - Der Lustige Witwe, 5/1, Berliner, 400+
This production moved to the Theater des Westerns
Budapest - Viz ozvegy, 11/27, Magyar Szinhaz, 200+
1907
London - The Merry Widow, 6/8, Daly's, 778
New York - The Merry Widow, 10/21, New Amsterdam, 416
1908
Melbourne - The Merry Widow, 5/16, Her Majesty's
Paris - La Veuve Joyeuse, 4/28, Theatre Apollo, 186
1921
New York
1925
FILM: The Merry Widow (Silent - USA-MGM)
Mae Murray, John Gilbert
Director - Erich Von Stroheim
1929
New York
1931
New York 1934
FILM: The Merry Widow (USA-MGM)
Jeanette MacDonald (Sonia), Maurice Chevalier (Danilo)
Director - Ernst Lubitsch
Lorenz Hart provided the witty lyrics, but the screenplay bears little
resemblance to the original story. After initially repelling Danilo's
advances in Marsovia, Sonia has second thoughts and chases him to Paris
-- masquerading as a Maxim's grisette to win his attentions. The
bankrupt Marsovian monarch locks them in a dungeon to end the game and
force a marriage. Thanks to Lubitsch, all this silliness works
beautifully, and Chevalier and MacDonald are great fun in the leads. MGM
established its reputation as Hollywood's premiere musical studio with
this lavish production -- just try to count how many hundreds of couples
whirl through the title waltz.
1942
Paris
1943
New York - The Merry Widow, 8/4, Majestic, 322
Marta Eggerth, Jan Kiepura
1951
Paris 1952
FILM: The Merry Widow (USA-MGM)
Lana Turner (Sonia), Fernando Lamas (Danilo)
Director - Curtis Bernhardt
Technicolor is the only excuse for this costly version. Turner (whose
singing is dubbed) looks ravishing, if a bit embarrassed, and Lamas is a
sexy and surprisingly musical Danilo. The two stars were having a torrid
affair off-screen -- there is precious little visible sign of it.
The comedy falls flat, despite the presence of Richard Haydn as Ambassador
Popoff.
1957
Paris
1962
Paris
FILM: Die Lustige Witwe (Austria)
Karin Hubner (Hanna), Peter Alexander (Danilo)
1967
Vienna - Die Lustige Witwe, Theater and der Wein, 309
Ilona Szamos (Hannah), Johannes Heesters (Danilo)
1969
London -
Lisbeth Webb (Hannah)
1982
Paris - Chatelet
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