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Adaptations of German Language Operetta, 1906–38

Franz Lehár’s operetta Die lustige Witwe, first performed in Vienna in December 1905, was soon adapted for performance in Warsaw and Budapest. It launched what has been called the “Silver Age” of operetta. In 1907, as The Merry Widow, its outstanding success in London and New York stimulated a new appetite for operetta, and adaptations of German language operetta continued to be performed in the West End and Broadway until the mid-1930s. These web pages draw upon a project funded by an Advanced Grant from the European Research Council (GOLNY 339555). The principal investigator Professor Derek B. Scott (University of Leeds) focuses on the reception of German operetta in London and New York. Dr Anastasia Belina (Royal College of Music), a Senior Research Fellow on the project, is exploring operetta adaptations in Warsaw.