28 Sep 2017
Lana Jones and Daniel Gaudiello. Photo Jeff Busby.
Moonlight swoons, lovers' tiffs, summerhouse encounters, jealous rage (expressed in can-can kicks, of course) ... The Merry Widow bubbles along in sudsy style, with hearts won and lost and won again - but the course of true love (eventually) runs beautifully smooth.
Artists of the Australian Ballet. Photo David Parker.
The Merry Widow is set in turn-of-the-century Paris, and the sets and costumes brim with yesteryear chic: lavish hats, flirting fans, suave military jackets, frills, flowers and feathers. The final act, set in Chez Maxime's, shimmers with Art Nouveau lights reflected in long gleaming mirrors.
Steven Heathcote, Lisa Pavane and David McAllister. Photo Jim McFarlane.
In the final act of the ballet, Hanna, the Merry Widow herself, enters Maxim's to find a roomful of jealous lovers and disgruntled countrymen, all furious because they think (mistakenly) that she is going to marry a Parisian, which means that the bankrupt Pontevedrio will lose the benefit of her immense wealth. It's complicated... luckily Hanna has a show stopping cloak to keep her warm in the frigid atmosphere. The designer, Desmond Heeley, made the Dietrich-worthy garment from discarded pieces of white tulle. It's known affectionately as 'the Chook.'
Artists of the Australian Ballet. Photo Jeff Busby.
John Lanchbery, once The Australian Ballet's music director and one of the great arrangers of ballet music, adapted The Merry Widow from Franz Lehár's beloved operetta. With lashings of strings and a lilting rhythm, his score is a masterpiece in its own right. You'll leave the theatre humming.
Adam Bull and Olivia Bell. Photo Jeff Busby.
At the fast-beating heart of The Merry Widow is the love story between Count Danilo and Hanna. The two were childhood sweethearts, but Hanna was just a village girl, and Danilo's parents put an end to the relationship. Years later, they meet ... and, while Hanna is initially hurt and cynical, she can't disguise that she still loves Danilo as much as ever. Fortunately, Danilo returns her feelings. Some twists and turns and rocky moments later, they fall into each others arms in a romantic, 'at last!' pas de deux that brings tears to the eyes.
