Aaron Cain: I’m Aaron Cain with WFIU Arts. IU Jacobs School of Music Opera Theater presents The Merry Widow by Franz Lehár this weekend at the Musical Arts Center, at 7:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. It’s a double cast and I recently had the chance to speak with the Merry Widows, Macey Rowland and Rachel Fitzgerald, who explained the story of this operetta to me.
Macey Rowland: My name is Macey Rowland and I play the role of Hanna Glawari.
Rachel Fitzgerald: My name is Rachel Fitzgerald and I will be singing the role of Hanna Glawari in Merry Widow. Hanna Glawari is this peasant girl. She is in love with Danilo Danilovitsch. They are childhood sweethearts. However, he belongs to some sort of royal lineage. His uncle, the Prince, is mentioned several times. So they are childhood sweethearts, he is above her in society. The time comes when they are old enough to marry, and she is refused because of her place in society. She then has very few options to choose from, so Hanna chooses survival and marries an old banker. He’s her sugar daddy, for lack of a better word, and he dies. And so there she is, still young, beautiful and very rich.
Macey Rowland: So we start the operetta at the Pontevedrin embassy in Paris, and there are all these diplomats and their wives. And one of the main topics of conversation is how much they owe to Gospodin Glawari, Hanna’s late husband. So they discuss how to keep this money in Pontevedro, because if she marries a Parisian, this money will not stay in the country and they will be bankrupt. So Hanna walks in, and she’s just overwhelmed by suitors – French and Pontevedrin – and she runs into Danilo, an old flame. like Rachel said. He is determined not to get married. She knows he’s still in love with her, and she definitely still has those feelings too, so we get a lot of heated dialogue and tension between the two of them.
Aaron Cain: What is special about this piece for you?
Macey Rowland: This is one of those perfect opportunities for someone who has never seen an opera to come and have something so accessible, tangible, fun and perhaps more similar to what it is used to. I think that’s really one of the strengths of this piece, is that it’s universal. It’s a romantic comedy before romantic comedy existed.
Rachel Fitzgerald: I think there are so many things that make this show special, but most of all: the music. I mean, the music is beautiful. I think nothing could be more beautiful than the end of the 19th-Music of the century, personally. It’s lush and it gets stuck in your head. It’s optimistic, it’s heartbreaking, all at the same time. I think the direction also makes this really special. Working with Ketura (Stickann) has been absolutely wonderful; like an absolute privilege to work with this true boss. And she said, what makes this opera so accessible is that it’s about love and money. And people still fight for love and for money. And there’s something for everyone. It’s real and authentic and, yes, lighthearted, all at the same time.
Aaron Cain: All that, plus can-can dancing.
Rachel Fitzgerald: Exactly.
Macey Rowland: That’s one thing I forgot to mention: dancing. This plays a huge role in this show. Not only do we have fantastic dancers in the ballet department, but Rachel and I both dance a lot. While waltzing, we do a Pontevedrine dance called the Kolo. I know for me and for you too, we both have a background in musical theater. And this type of show, the operetta, really makes a very good link between these two things, like that of the 19th-Century traditions of opera in the style of musical theater.
Rachel Fitzgerald: If you haven’t seen an opera yet, this is the place to start. No offense, Mozart. I love Mozart. But it’s not the best place to start because it’s hard! And it’s… there’s a lot of aspects that are difficult, but there’s a lot of aspects that are easy, and it’s a bit like a nice hot cup of coffee. So you can just have fun.
Aaron Cain: Rachel Fitzgerald. Macy Rowland. Thank you very much for speaking with me today.
Rachel Fitzgerald: THANKS.
Macey Rowland: Thank you for receiving us.
Aaron Cain: The Merry Widows. Rachel plays the title role in Friday night’s performance, Macy sings Saturday night, in Franz Lehár’s The Merry Widow. More information at operaballet.indiana.edu. For WFIU Arts, my name is Aaron Cain.