A website celebrating 100 years of operetta's 'leading lady'. On 30 December 1905, Franz Lehár, Victor Léon and Leo Stein's Die lustige Witwe (The Merry Widow) received its first public performance at the Theater an der Wien in Vienna. Performances around the world followed and the show quickly established itself as one of the musical theatre's greatest-ever attractions. Almost a century later, the Widow's power to enchant remains undiminished. Doblinger issues first Full Score The original publisher of Die Lustige Witwe, Musikverlag Doblinger of Vienna, has now published the first engraved Full Score of the operetta. This new historical-critical edition, bound in cloth with gold blocking and printed in a limited one-off printing. Please contact us for further information. This special website, written, researched, compiled and edited by Andrew Lamb, is a centenary tribute to The Merry Widow that will be maintained after 2005 and become, we hope, the principal source of online information on the work. Initially, it will serve as a taster to the 2005-6 season, including details of the many productions planned to commemorate the centenary. Navigate the site using the buttons at the left of the page.