The Merry Widow plays a dangerous game

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Surrounded by suitors

Merry Widow dances into Jozi WITH a cast of over 30 performers, the Carl Rosa Opera Company will be performing the Franz Lehar operetta The Merry Widow in Johannesburg early next year. November 10, 2005 By Rose Setshoge FOR the first time in 50 years the prestigious Carl Rosa Opera Company will be performing in South Africa, when it brings its production of The Merry Widow to Johannesburg. The operetta will be staged at the Nelson Mandela Theatre at the Johannesburg Civic Theatre from 8 February to 4 March 2006. Composed by Franz Lehar, it is the story of Hanna, the elegant widow, who decides to play a dangerous dating game. But is she playing for love, for money or for power? The chorus of The Merry Widow The unexpected arrival at the dance of her first love brings back buried passions, past betrayal and an uncontrollable test of emotions. Carl Rosa was born in 1842 and created his opera company in 1869. It was the first company to perform works in England, namely Lohengrin, Aida, Carmen, La Boheme, Cavalleria Rusticana and Tannhauser. Its first production of The Merry Window was in Vienna, in Austria, in 1905. Its first tour to South Africa was in 1930, when it performed Carmen and The Tales of Hofmann in Johannesburg. Its last visit was in 1951. Artistic director Peter Mulloy, together with associate director and choreographer Steve Elias and musical director Wyn Davies, created the production of The Merry Widow specially for the company's new South African season. A cast of more than 30 will travel from the United Kingdom with the production, which will make use of the Johannesburg Festival Orchestra. The production is in association with The Johannesburg Civic Theatre, Artscape and Jacaranda FM. Tickets are available at Computicket from R140. For more information, contact Taryn Fisher on 011 325 4877. Permission to use web site material Publishers may use material from this site free of charge, as long as: Credit is given to either the "City of Johannesburg website (www.joburg.org.za)" or to "Johannesburg News Agency (www.joburg.org.za)"; If the article is used online, a link is provided to the original article on this website; The name of the article's author is acknowledged; The webmaster is informed of how and where the material is used (fill in this brief online form). Johannesburg News Agency is operated by BIG Media at 011-484-1400 Print this Page E-mail this article to a friend Help using Joburg.org.za