Your first lesson should always be the Mandatory Lesson or a review of that lesson. If you have time for only one other lesson, please make that a review of the synopsis (or plot line) of the play. The Merry Widow is singing theatre. For the history of this art form, go to this link. If you have time for more than one, or if your students already understand the rules of live theatre, please feel free to choose one of the additional lessons. They are divided roughly by general subject matter, e. g. language arts, social studies, etc.

Language Arts
Critique
Have your students write a column of criticism of the play. (See the synopsis.) Be sure they support their opinion with data from the performance. Be sure to make this assignment before they attend so they can be thinking about it as they watch the performance. Choices could include the music as performed by the orchestra, the music as performed by the vocalists (either collectively or individually), the dancing, the sets, the staging and the directing. Have your students read several critics' newspaper columns before they attend the performance so they can be familiar with the professional’s manner of critiquing.

Rewrite/revise
Have your students’ revise or rewrite a portion of the play that they either did not like or that they felt would be strong/funnier/better if written differently. synopsis Have the remainder of the class offer opinions on whether they think the revision is an improvement.

Write new lyrics
Have your students write new lyrics for one of the songs in the play. For example, A Dutiful Wife. Be sure they notice that it is a duet. They should maintain that format.

Humanities
Character Study
Compare Hanna to a leading character in a story or real person you have studied in class. Tell how she is the same as that character AND how she is different. Which character is more interesting? Why? Be sure to cite examples to support your opinion. Is Hanna typical for her time? What are the reasons that allow her to live this very different life-style from other women of her time? (Without her money, the whole country would go under financially AND she is a widow.) Discuss the changing role of women both in the past and the present. Is that role reflected in the music and plays of our times? Are those roles portrayed accurately today? Do you think they are accurate in this operetta? What is your evidence?

The money that Hanna inherited plays a major role in this operetta. The fact that she is female and wealthy has an impact, as well. Did women usually have control over their own money during this era? Why does Hanna? What effect would her marriage have on the control of her wealth? Would that be true today? Discuss how the laws concerning inheritance affect people’s lives. Include a discussion of how the laws concerning property within a marriage affect people’s lives. Have your students look in the news for contemporary examples of people with large amounts of money who are in court about the money. Movie stars and sports stars often have pre-nuptial agreements. Why? Are they always a good idea? Should ordinary people have them as well? (Think about blended families and seniors.)

Author Study
Have your students study the life and talent of Franz Lehár. Why is Lehár’s era called the Silver Age? Who was the composer of the Golden Age? Compare and contrast their lives and works. Who were Lehar’s contemporaries? How did his life compare to others during the Second World War? What was the criticism directed at him? Was it just? What is your evidence to support your opinion?

Your students should know that singing theatre is a collaboration between the author (lyricist or librettist) who writes the words and the composer who writes the music. Investigate the relationship between Franz Lehár and Victor León and Leo Stein. As you study these men, look for similarities in their life experiences. Many people, including Lehár and Kálmán were affected by World War II and the rise of Hitler and the Nazis. Describe how that impacted their lives, how differently some were affected than others. Compare Kálmán with Lehár in this area. Find examples of other theatrical people who were affected strongly by Hitler’s policies. What was the impact on theatre of World War II? Find evidence to support your opinion.

Royalty and the class system
The leading characters in the play are members of the ruling class. Describe the various levels of royalty in one of the countries you have studied. This play takes place at the end of Austro-Hungarian Empire. If you have studied that era, use that for your reference. If not, look at modern royalty, e.g. England, Monaco. At the time of Early Twentieth Century Europe, many changes were happening politically. Is this reflected in this operetta? What other changed were going on, both in Europe and in the rest of the world? Does music and theatre reflect the times? Are they ahead or behind the times? What is your evidence to support your opinion? Cite specifics.

Map Skills
Use one or more of the links provided to find a map of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Compare that map to Europe today. Locate the countries that are still in existence. Determine which countries have changed names and/or boundaries since that time. Explain the major causes of those changes. Some of them have made several changes. Be sure you make note of all of the major ones. This operetta takes place in a fictional country. It is supposed to be a Balkan state. Locate the Balkans and determine what countries existed there in this era and what countries are there today. What would life be like in one of those countries today?

Fine Arts
Dance
This play relies heavily on dance and music. Study the waltz and the csardas. How are they alike, how are they different? Which one of them is more of an ethnic dance? What is your evidence? The Merry Widow Waltz in ACT III is arguably the most famous waltz of all times, barring the waltzes of Johann Strauss II. Part of the scene is carried by the waltz, without further dialogue. Can you find reasons for this? What special qualities does this music have that brings meaning without words? What other kinds of dances are used in this production? Are any of them familiar to you? Which of the songs is/are probably drawn from ethnic music? What is your evidence? Does the use of ethnic/national music and dance affect the play? Is it a positive or negative affect? The music includes waltzes, polonaise, mazurkas, kolo, and others. Compare these to modern dance music. Are any of them still used today? What dance forms have replaced them? Can you find evidence to trace one of these into its ancient form?

Costumes
Write a review of the costumes. Include such things are your opinion of their authenticity, their effectiveness, and how they help or hinder the success of the play. Draw a new set of costumes for this play. Be sure to write a justification for the changes you make. Be sure to think of the constraints such as budget and ease of use by the performers. Also, costumes must be reused by different people at other venues (rentals).

Set Design
Design a new series of sets for this play. Be sure to write a justification for your design. Remember, things such as budget and size of stage area affect what sets are used. Also, all sets must be portable as many companies rent sets and all companies must store their sets for reuse.

Operetta
The Merry Widow is an operetta. Explain what that means. If you were able to attend Countess Maritza during our last season, compare the two. What would have to happen to make The Merry Widow into an opera? Do you think it would be successful as an opera? Support your opinion with evidence from the performance. Could it be converted into a play that was not musical? Why or why not?

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Revised September 2006
Please credit Lyric Opera San Diego when using this material.