The Merry Widow – July 2010
In July 2010 The Malmesbury Singers tempted fate by putting on a “semi-staged” version of The Merry Widow – An Operetta in Three Acts performance in a shortened concert version.
Complete details as follows:
Characters
Anna Glavari – Nicki Heenan Danilo (her suitor) – Adrian Johnson
The Grisettes: Tricia Callow, Anne Cox, Pamela Loftus, Kate James, Susan Stoner, Eve Williams
Lead Dancers: Margaret Thacker, Geoff Canning
Other dancers: Shirley Collier, Ted Palmer, Jane Duffin, Geoff Miller
Conductor – Iain Duffin Piano – Nicholas Thorne Narrator – Colin Woodfield
Choreography – Riann Booroff Script – Tony Briggs
Franz Lehar’s comic operetta has maintained its appeal for more than a century. Many of us have known unforgettable melodies all our lives.<!> In this rendition we performed a shortened concert version of the operetta, and for the “missing scenes” a narrator helped bridge the “gaps”.
It could be argued that aside from our talented “Anna”, skilfully and artistically played by Nicki Heenan, the Grisettes tried their hardest to steal the show and had the audience clapping along with their antics.