Contents
The Merry Widow: Character Map
The Merry Widow: Roles
| Hanna Glawari | a wealthy widow | soprano |
| Count Danilo Danilovitsch | Hanna’s former lover | tenor |
| Valencienne | Baron Zeta’s wife | soprano |
| Baron Mirko Zeta | the Ambassador | baritone |
| Camille | Count de Rosillon | tenor |
| Njegus | the Embassy Secretary | spoken |
| Kromow | Pontevedrin embassy counsellor | baritone |
| Bogdanovitch | Pontevedrin consul | baritone |
| Raoul de St Brioche | French diplomat | tenor |
| Vicomte Cascada | Latin diplomat | baritone |
- Native title: Die lustige Witwe
- Composers: Franz Lehár
- Librettist: Viktor Léon, Leo Stein
- Based on: L’attaché d’ambassade (The Embassy Attaché) by Henri Meilhac
- Language: German
- Premiere: December 30, 1905, Theater auf der Wieden, Vienna
- Running time: 2 hours 20 minutes (Act 1: 50 minutes, Act 2: 60 minutes, Act 3: 30 minutes)
The Merry Widow: Short Synopsis
Hanna Glawari is a widow who has inherited a millionaire’s fortune. If Hanna remarries a man from another country, her fortune will belong to him. Therefore, Baron Zeta wants her to remarry a man from his own country, especially Count Danilo.
Hanna had been a lover of Count Danilo before marrying the millionaire but had broken up with him when his uncle objected. Danilo still likes Hanna. He is stubborn because he does not want to be a money-grubber.
While Hanna and Danilo have a petty quarrel, Valencienne is having an affair with Camille. Hannah and Danilo’s romance goes well. Valencienne and Camille’s relationship remains a secret.