Ticket Alert: Individual Tickets for The Merry Widow

Opera Orlando presents Franz Lehár’s effervescent operetta The Merry Widow in an original production conceived by artistic director Grant Preisser and led by a star-studded cast headlined by soprano Sarah Joy Miller who was recently featured in the HBO series The Gilded Age. She sings the title role, joined by hysterical basso buffo Andy Papas as Baron Zeta, and Grammy Award-winning baritone Gabriel Preisser as Count Danilo. Studio Artist Alexandra Kzeski will also be appearing as Baron Zeta’s philandering wife, Valencienne.

Based on L'attaché d'ambassade, a French play from the mid-19th century, The Merry Widow is one of the most successful operettas ever written – a delightful concoction of elegant romance and screwball comedy, wrapped in infinitely hummable melodies and unforgettable dance tunes. 

As the curtain rises, audiences will feel as though they’re stepping into a grand celebration. Beautiful Hanna’s late husband has left her a very rich woman. In fact, she’s so rich that the economy of her homeland depends on her marrying a local — so the ambassador springs into action with the help of his wife, Valencienne, (a former can-can dancer) to find Hanna the right husband. But it’s a tricky affair because the wily widow already has someone in mind: Count Danilo, an old flame, who has no intention of giving up bachelorhood. He’s got a bevy of beauties delighted to keep him entertained with no strings attached. Rendezvous are rampant. Complications abound. Hanna ultimately gets her man as Lehár’s unforgettable tunes and waltzes bubble happily along.

Featuring the Opera Orlando Chorus and dancers from the Orlando Ballet, with the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra in the pit led by conductor Noam Aviel, The Merry Widow offers a taste of genuine old world glamour, aristocratic reverie, catchy melodies, and of course, the can-can.

THE MERRY WIDOW

music by Franz Lehár and libretto by Viktor Léon and Leo Stein

sung in English with English and Spanish supertitles projected above the stage

Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts  |  Steinmetz Hall

FRIDAY  |  April 24 at 7:30 p.m.

SUNDAY  |  April 26 at 2 p.m.

Individual tickets are on sale now and start at just $29. Tickets available exclusively through the Dr. Phillips Center’s Bill & Mary Darden Box Office (445 S. Magnolia Avenue, Orlando), online at www.DrPhillipsCenter.org or by calling (407) 839-0119, ext. 0.

#####

About Opera Orlando:     Celebrating, expanding, and sharing the world’s greatest art form, the 2025-26 season marks Opera Orlando’s 10th Anniversary of producing high-quality operatic entertainment and educational programs that engage Central Florida audiences. Stay up to date with Opera Orlando’s season online at www.OperaOrlando.org, and follow and like the Opera’s Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok accounts to share in all the celebrations this season.