REVIEW: The Merry Widow (Scottish Opera)

 The Merry Widow - ★★★★★ - Scintillating

Festival Theatre: 29 May – 7 June 2025
Review by Rebecca Mahar

Review commissioned by, and originally published on All Edinburgh Theatre, 1 June 2025. Edited by Thom Dibdin.

Scottish Opera presents a scintillating new adaptation of Franz Lehár’s The Merry Widow at the Festival Theatre, bringing its setting into the twentieth century, and its sensibilities into the twenty-first.

Originally a German operetta adapting a French play, this version of The Merry Widow, a co-production with D’Oyly Carte Opera and Opera Holland Park, features a new English translation by David Eaton (lyrics) and John Savournin (book), the latter of whom also directs the piece.

The company of Scottish Opera's The Merry Widow. Pic: Mihaela Bodlovic.

Visit All Edinburgh Theatre to read the full review!

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