The Merry Widow (The Met: Live in HD)

Broadway director and choreographer Susan Stroman, whose many credits include the Tony Award-winning musicals Crazy For You, Contact, and The Producers, makes her Met debut with a lavish new staging of Lehár-s effervescent operetta The Merry Widow, performed in English in a new translation by Jeremy Sams.Stroman and her design team of Julian Crouch (Satyagraha, The Enchanted Island) and costume designer William Ivey Long (Cinderella, Grey Gardens, Hairspray) have created an art-nouveau setting that climaxes with singing and dancing grisettes at the legendary Maxim-s. Lehár-s best-known composition has been an audience favorite since its 1905 premiere and features a great deal of well-known music, including ?Vilja,? ?You-ll Find Me At Maxim-s,? and ?The Merry Widow Waltz.? Renée Fleming will add a new character to her wide-ranging Met repertory of 22 roles as Hanna, the widowed Parisian millionairess. Andrew Davis will conduct a cast that also includes Nathan Gunn as Hanna-s lover Danilo; Alek Shrader as the young nobleman Camille de Rosillon; Thomas Allen as the scheming Baron Zeta; and Broadway soprano Kelli O-Hara in her Met debut as the Baron-s coquettish wife Valencienne. Conductor: Andrew Davis Production: Susan Stroman Set Design: Julian Crouch Costume Design: William Ivey Long Lighting Design: Paule Constable Choreographer: Susan Stroman English Translation: Jeremy Sams Cast: Renée Fleming (Hanna), Kelli O'Hara (Valencienne), Nathan Gunn (Danilo), Alek Shrader (Camille de Rosillon), Thomas Allen (Baron Zeta) Airing: 9:55 a.m. Approximate Run Time: 2:57 Encore - February 15 at 2 p.m. Visit the Icicle Creek Center for the Arts for more information.