Lippen schweigen

©austenfan1990

A Narrative Retelling of Franz Lehár's Die lustige Witwe or The Merry Widow

Original book and lyrics by Victor Léon and Leo Stein

Excerpts and lyrics from the English translation by Jeremy Sams

Partly based on the 1997 Royal Opera House production of The Merry Widow with Dame Felicity Lott and Sir Thomas Allen

PARIS, 1905

Dramatis personae

Hanna Glawari…The Merry Widow

Count Danilo Danilovitsch…First Secretary of the Pontevedrian Embassy in Paris

Baron Mirko Zeta…Pontevedrian Ambassador in Paris

Baroness Valencienne Zeta…The Ambassador's Wife

Camille, Count de Rosillon…French attaché to the Embassy and admirer of Valencienne

Njegus…Baron Zeta's Factotum

Kromov…Pontevedrian military councillor

Olga…Kromov's wife

Pritschitisch…Embassy counsel

Bogdanovitsch…Pontevedrian military attaché

Sylvianne…Bogdanovitsch's wife

Raoul St Brioche…French diplomat

Vicomte Cascada…Latin diplomat

Lolo, Dodo, Jou-Jou, Frou-Frou, Clo-Clo, Margot…"Grisettes" at Maxim's

Parisians and Pontevedrians, musicians and servants