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Franz Lehár’s operetta The Merry Widow will return to the Sydney Opera House for an 18-performance season running from 8 July to 18 August 2026.
The production plays the Joan Sutherland Theatre at Bennelong Point, with tickets priced from $79 plus a $10 booking fee.
Performed in English with English and Simplified Chinese surtitles, the show runs for approximately 2 hours and 55 minutes, including two intervals.
The staging was commissioned by the Opera Conference, Australia’s national partnership of professional opera companies, and was last seen at the venue in 2021.
The Sydney Morning Herald described the production as a “shimmering all-singing, all-dancing Broadway-style show”. The same publication judged the staging “visually stunning”.
Two performers share the lead
Julie Lea Goodwin and Emma Pearson will share the role of Hanna Glavari, the widow at the centre of the story. Goodwin performs from 8 to 19 July and from 31 July to 18 August, while Pearson takes the role from 22 to 26 July.
Alexander Lewis returns as Danilo Danilovich, a role he has played in the production before. Alexandra Flood appears as Valencienne alongside David Whitney as Baron Mirko Zeta.
The role of Camille de Rosillon is also split across the season, with John Longmuir performing from 8 to 26 July and Virgilio Marino from 31 July to 18 August.
The cast includes Benjamin Rasheed as Njegus, Richard Anderson as Alexis Kromov, Alexander Hargreaves as Dominik Bogdanovich, Jane Ede as Sylviane, Iain Henderson as Raoul de St. Brioche, Nathan Lay as Viscount Nicolas Cascada, Helen Sherman as Olga Kromov, Tom Hamilton as Konrad Pritschich and Dominica Matthews as Praskovia.
The Opera Australia Orchestra and Opera Australia Chorus perform under Conductor Vanessa Scammell.
Murphy leads the creative team
Director and Choreographer Graeme Murphy AO oversees the production, supported by Creative Associate Janet Vernon AM, Assistant Director Cameron Mitchell and Assistant Choreographer Olivia Jenkins. Murphy’s choreography features throughout the dance-heavy score.
The design team comprises Set Designer Michael Scott-Mitchell, Costume Designer Jennifer Irwin, Lighting Designer Damien Cooper and Sound Designer Jim Atkins.
Irwin’s costumes draw on the Art Deco fashions of the 1920s, paired with geometric sets from Scott-Mitchell. The English translation is by Justin Fleming.
Bankrupt state pins its hopes on a widow
Lehár’s operetta, which premiered in Vienna in 1905, follows the tiny state of Pontevedro, which is bankrupt. Its hope of financial salvation rests with Hanna, a widow who inherited her husband’s fortune.
Pontevedrian officials must convince her to marry a local man so the money does not leave the country. Complicating the plan, Hanna has a history with the candidate they have in mind.
The score features a run of waltzes woven through the comedy.
Packages, dining and session times
Audiences can bundle The Merry Widow with one or more shows from the 2026 Season to become Season Subscribers, unlocking ticket discounts of up to 20 per cent along with priority booking and free ticket exchanges.
Pre-show dining is available at Overture Dining in the Northern Foyer of the Joan Sutherland Theatre, where a three-course menu starts from $99.
Evening performances begin at 7:30pm. Matinees are scheduled for 11 July at 12:30pm, 19 July at 2pm, 25 July at 12pm and 26 July at 2pm.
