Last Saturday, I went to see the 1925 opera, “The Merry Widow,” by Franz Lehar. “The Merry Widow” tells the story of the titular widow, who married a French banker and upon his death inherited about two million francs. The Widow hails from Petrovenia (or Pontevedro in the original libretto), a fictionalized version of Montenegro. Unfortunately, Petrovenia is bankrupt, and so the government wants access to her fortune. Thus, the Petrovenian king tasks his ambassador with having the widow marry a Petrovenian count.

This isn’t easy, as the widow is harassed by suitors everywhere she goes, and so she doesn’t tend to be trusting of any man. I can’t help but think that Petrovenia seems to embrace trickle-down economics a little too readily; I seriously doubt one millionaire is going to really breathe new life the Petrovenian economy on her own. There’s also a subplot involving the ambassador’s wife and a minor character being in love, but the wife considering her marriage sacred, and the plot is filled with shenanigans involving mushy romance.

This is a romantic comedy from before romantic comedies were a thing. The acting was top-notch, the singers were lovely, and the costumes and sets were well-designed. Overall, it was a very satisfying three hours.