When The Merry Widow had its American premiere at The New Amsterdam Theatre in New York after having conquered audiences of Europe two years before, it became an instant phenomenon. With its lush, tuneful score by Franz Lehar (who became known as "the Puccini of operetta"), its sophisticated story, and its elegant, romantic setting, it was an enormous success. Within months, nearly a half-dozen different road companies of the show were fanning out all over America. New dance crazes were sparked by its irresistible waltzes and polkas. The show's influence was even felt in fashion, with large, oversized, feather-laden "Merry Widow Hats" becoming all the rage for women. Moreover, this landmark work ushered in a new vogue for European operetta on Broadway. The years up to World War I saw the New York premieres of Oscar Straus' A Waltz Dream and The Chocolate Soldier, Emmerich Kalman's Sari, Leo Fall's The Dollar Princess and Lehar's The Count of Luxembourg, among many others. To this day, The Merry Widow remains the ultimate operetta--rivaled perhaps only by Johann Strauss' Die Fledermaus in the frequency of its performances.       
   The Merry Widows plot was simple. Baron Popoff, ambassador of the poverty-stricken mythical kingdom of Marsovia, prods his attaché, Prince Danilo, to marry the wealthy widow Sonia Sadoya for the benefit of the nation. Sonia is not about to become the prey of any fortune-hunters, and Danilo is wary of being taken for one. But, despite their best efforts, the two find themselves falling in love. Danilo eventually proposes marriage--but only after he comes under the mistaken impression that Sonia has lost all her money. Sonia eventually confesses the ruse, telling him that she has in reality been saving all her money for her next husband--Prince Danilo.
   Within three months of its Broadway premiere, The Merry Widow had inspired a parody--The Merry Widow Burlesque--that ran for 156 performances. Since then, The Merry Widow has had no less than five Broadway revivals and, most recently, a glittery new production at the Met starring Frederica von Stade. There have also been three Hollywood film versions: an Erich Von Stroheim silent in 1925; the Ernst Lubitsch masterpiece which starred Jeanette MacDonald and Maurice Chevalier in 1934, and an overblown, miscast 1952 Technicolor remake starring that great singer Lana Turner (dubbed by Trudy Erwin) and Fernando Lamas.