The Merry Widow – Festival Theatre

In this modern adaptation of Franz Lehar’s 1905 operetta The Merry Widow, Scottish Opera presented us with a fresh, ingenious take on the classic comedy of errors.  Featuring the mob of 1950s New York, a Sicilian lemon grove, and a million different miscommunications in love, John Savournin and David Eaton’s translation brings a much needed sense of accessibility and reimagination for today’s audience.  Typically being seen as an art form for the elites of the world, it seems Scottish Opera is making a very conscious effort to trample this narrative by reviving its productions in a way which appeals to a much wider audience – The Merry Widow being a trailblazing example of this.  Not only with its English translation, but also by its consideration of setting, moving away from the more stereotypical image of aristocracy and leaning into a grittier, more resonant version of what high society can be. 

The story centres around mob boss Don Zeta’s (played by Henry Waddington) plan to marry his consigliere Danilo (played by Alex Otterburn) to newly widowed Hanna Glawari (Paula Sides) in an attempt to have Glawari’s $20 million inheritance roll over into the mafia’s cashpot. Little does Zeta know that Hanna and Danilo have a very… complicated history, so much so that Danilo stubbornly refuses to marry Hanna although he still secretly loves her.  With everyone having affairs with everyone (including Zeta’s wife Valentina, played by Rhian Lois) the race to lock down the highly sought-after Hanna is ever more confused and complicated by the personal secrets and scandals of the mafia.  In this production the agency of the women is of the utmost importance to the story, with both Hanna and Valentina being very aware of what is expected of them but instead of blindly following these societal norms, they divert them with a tactfulness for both business and emotion.  Without their tact we would not have the story at all – Hanna could marry one of the drooling bachelors that fawn over her, and Valentina could abandon Don Zeta for her jazz-singer lover, but they don’t – not because it is not in the interest of the men in power, but because they themselves do not want to. 

This shift in dynamic is powerful and gives a huge deal of reverence to the translation – not only does the translation bring a comedic referentiality to the text with its homage to the Godfather and use of stereotypical Italian-New Yorker quips (I wouldn’t be surprised if someone said ‘ay I’m walkin’ here), but also adds a much needed humanisation to its female characters, giving them a freedom of choice that provides a greater depth to the conflicts of every character.  They are still held under by the expectations and structure of the patriarchy but can make the choice to be independent of this structure, despite the danger and dismissal it may bring.  Rhian Lois and Paula sides deliver these characters to us with a sensibility, charm, and strength that has the audience enamoured, performing with such playfulness and ease that the whole operetta is at their command.  In fact the whole cast is unsurprisingly stellar – each lead being true to their characters, showcasing the sheer range of their skills.  Notably, Christopher Nairne and Connor James Smith, playing the dumb-and-dumber sidekicks to Don Zeta, and although not a featured character, Olga played by Amy J Payne still managed to steal the scene with her fearsome expressivity.

In terms of production design, we expect no less from Scottish Opera than the soaring set pieces adorned with such detail and style. The Sicilian villa was a sight to behold with its Juliet balcony and rows of lemon trees.  At the beginning of the show we were shown an animated noir-esque film featuring gunshots, a car chase, and our anti-hero dragging on his cigarette.  This was a fantastic addition to the show, bringing a design element that is not common to the opera, but slotted in perfectly to the tone of the play – it was really as if we were in a picturehouse of the ‘50s.  Each aspect of the design was exciting and energetic, two words which most probably would not use to describe an opera.  But Scottish Opera are single handedly maintaining the art of opera with this vibrant production – not dumbing the content down for a modern audience but masterfully adapting century-old work to meet the ever-restless wants of a new-age people.  This certainly was not the work of a so-called dying art.

Reviewer: Jessie Martin

Reviewed: 29th May 2025

North West End UK Rating: