The Merry Widow in HD

CONDUCTOR Sir Andrew Davis
PRODUCTION Susan Stroman

LIVE IN HD HOST Joyce DiDonato

BARON MIRKO ZETA Sir Thomas Allen (baritone)
VALENCIENNE Kelli O’Hara (soprano)
CAMILLE DE ROSILLON Alek Shrader (tenor)
NJEGUS Carson Elrod (spoken)
HANNA GLAWARI Renée Fleming (soprano)
COUNT DANILO DANILOVITCH Nathan Gunn (tenor or lyric baritone)

Today, of course, was Lehar's The Merry Widow in HD from the Metropolitan Opera.  Why would you want The Merry Widow?  For the music.  And after that the music. 

So why doesn't this one work?  Ploddy, clumsy, not the tiniest bit Viennese conducting would be reason number one.  Ugly, almost repulsive words would be number two.  Tin ears.  I only liked one line:  Hanna says to Danilo, "I never forget a snore."

The costumes were nice.  The singers were fine.  Kelli O'Hara stood out, and Alek Shrader was a good idea.  He's very presentable in HD.  The dancing was wonderful.  Njegus should have been a lot funnier.  Meh.

I still don't like it.  Who cares whether people get married or not.  Now an operetta about dirty tricks and mistaken identities, that would be for me.
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