Merry Widow is a ballet adaptation of a romantic opera created to match the music of Franz Lehar. The original ballet was presented by the Australian Ballet in 1975 using the choreography of Ronald Hynd. Inspired by his version of the ballet, Artistic Director and resident choreographer Ronilo Jaynario decided to recreate the ballet for the Philippine audience. He re-imagined the story telling and injected a more contemporary spin to the ballet vocabulary. While the original version in its original form already had a lot of entertainment value, he thought it best to put more mixy mischief into each of the scenes.
Act 1 Anteroom in the Pontevedrian Embassy
Act one begins with glaring theatrics establishing the characters. In the Pontevedrian Embassy the Baron Zeta, Valencienne, Count Camille and Njegus are in panic looking at the dwindling amount of money for their city. Pontevedra is bankrupt. The group schemes and decides that a viable solution would be to match rich widow Hanna Glawari with Count Danilo so that money can be kept within the City. With much comical vulgarity Count Danilo enters and entertains with his drunken state. They cringe at the possibility of disaster as they see the Count in a condition not fit to woe anybody.
This scene closes with a glimpse of infidelity Camille and Valencienne tease the audience with a quick pas de deux. It ends with Njegus shocked when he sees a bit of the illicit affair and warns them of the repercussions.
Act 1 Scene 2 The Ballroom in the Pontevedrian Embassy
The stage reveals a grand ballroom with guests. The Baron and Valencienne await the arrival of the merry widow. She glamorously walks down the grand staircase and is quickly introduced to the elite males in the ball. She soon finds a familiar face. Count Danilo, her former lover who left her in tears was right in front of her.
A flashback follows. Count Danilo recounts how he left his loved ones to follow his family's wishes. Hanna was not in the same social class as him and therefore was not fit to be the wife of a future count. Hanna hasn't quite forgiven Count Danilo and jabs at him by choosing other gentlemen to dance the night away. Angered the Count does the same and a petty battle of jealousy begins.
Act 2 The garden of Hanna's Villa the next evening
The following night Hanna gives a party in her villa. With traditional Pontevedrian clothing they engage in traditional dances. Hanna and Count Danilo are confronted with their history and begin to rekindle their old flame.
Meanwhile, Camille and Valencienne no longer able to control their feelings for each other spend intimate time in Hanna's pavilion. Njegus sees their passionate display. He also sees Count Danilo and Baron Zeta on their way to the pavilion . In his desperation he tells Hannah the situation and she indulges in his plan to conceal the problem. Hannah swiftly switches with Valencienne. When the Baron finally gets Njegus to open the door, Hannah is revealed. Surprised Count Danilo is told that Camille and Hannah were newly engaged. Confused and irritated the both the Count and Valencienne display quite a comical response to the madness.
Act 3 Engagement Aftermath
All the characters meet again in yet another social gathering. Count Danilo threatens Camille and they engage in hilarious bickering sequences. The entertainment doesn't stop with them as the can can girls and the sophisticated waltzing women bring some excitement for everyone.
Eventually, Valencienne and Camille end up in each others arms. Soon enough they could no longer hide that there is something between them. The sad truth is revealed and the Baron is heartbroken. He yields and forgives them. Count Danilo finally understands the situation. Grateful that he still has another chance with the merry widow, he sweeps her off her feet and professes her love. Jaynario ends the ballet with an imposing "They lived happily ever after,".
Jaynario's approach veers away from Merry Widow's old glamour feels but certainly retains the sophistication of the ballet. The narrative was clearly translated into movement. From the physicality of the theatrics to the artistry of the cast , the characterization was clear as day. The choreography glorifies the evident strength of his Company. Length and lavishness in the range of motion were the key elements that he played with. There were a lot of technical spectacles like fouettes dispatched with one hand on the voluminous skirt, pas de deux acrobatics, high impact extensions etc. Of course not every scene is flawless there are redundancies within the ballet but it is certainly entertaining. It's nice to see a show feature something other than what popular imagination on ballet is. A few refinements here and there and I reckon it will be one of those lasting light productions that people will look forward to seeing.
Cast :
Count Danilo Danilovitsch (Pontevedrian Diplomat) : Martin Buczko
Hanna Glawari (wealthy Pontevedrian widow): Kim Abrogena
Baron Mirko Zeta (Pontevedrian Ambassador to France) : Anatoli Panasiukov
Valencienne (Baron Zeta's Wife): Lobreza Pimentel
Camille Rosillion : Peter San Juan
Njegus : Joel Matias
