HSU Theatre Presents Opera “The Merry Widow”

(ABILENE, Texas) — The next performance of HSU Theatre will be “The Merry Widow,” an operetta by Franz Lehár. The show will be directed by Dr. Chris Hollingsworth and will run from March 28-30 at 7:30 PM each evening. The cost of admission will be $10 for the general public, $5 for the military, seniors, and students, and free to HSU faculty, staff, and students.

A few cast members will alternate between the Thursday/Saturday and Friday performances.

Originally written and sung in German, the opera will be sung in English by the HSU cast.

“The Merry Widow” focuses on recently widowed Hanna Glawari, who has been left with 20 million dollars by her husband. She lives in nearly-bankrupt Pontevedro, of which the officials do not want her to leave and therefore take her money out of their poor land. She needs to remarry and Count Danilo seems to be a good contender. So Hanna will not think he is only interested in her wealth, Danilo tries to act indifferent. Certain misunderstandings later lead him to declare his love.

Dr. Hollingsworth chose this particular show because “it is an operetta and very appropriate for undergraduate singers.” The fact that the show, originally sung in German, will be sung in English was also appealing to him. “There is an English translation that we are singing that makes it fun for the audience and accessible…not to mention it highlights a lot of our talented students,” said Hollingsworth.

The show is for all ages, as it contains romance, humor, dialogue, and singing.

Tickets for the show can be purchased by calling the Van Ellis Theatre box office at (325) 660-1405 or online at the HSU Theatre webpage.