Cleveland Opera Stages Franz Lehar’s “The Land of Smiles”

Wed 2/20 @ 7PM

Fri 2/22 @ 7:30PM

Sun 2/24 @ 3:30PM

Austro-Hungarian composer Franz Lehár is best known for his romantic operettas such as The Merry Widow, which were wildly popular in the early 20th century. (You’d recognize “The Merry Widow Waltz” if you heard it). The less familiar The Land of Smiles is a later work, debuted in 1923. It involves a Viennese woman who marries a Chinese prince and moves to Peking with him where the culture clash leads to a moderately unhappy ending (nobody dies!), but there are still smiles, as the title suggests. The opera includes Lehár’s well-known tune “You Are My Heart’s Delight.”

The Cleveland Opera (formerly the Opera Circle) will be presenting fully staged and costumed production of this lushly melodic period piece, complete with dances by the Cleveland Ballet and live music by the Cleveland Women’s Orchestra. And it will be sung in English.

The performances take place at the Polish-American Center in Slavic Village Thursday, First Baptist Church of Cleveland in Shaker Heights Saturday and the Tudor Arms Hotel Grand Ballroom Sunday. The former two performances include free refreshments sponsored by the Cleveland Opera; the latter has refreshments available for purchase, but the company provides free valet parking.

 Tickets are $25 for general admission, $55 for sponsor seats and $10 for students.

theclevelandopera.org/land-of-smiles/tickets

Cleveland, OH 44105

Cleveland, OH 44118

Cleveland, OH 44106

 

 

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