Cast members of the operetta Merry Widow gave Honors freshmen a preview of their upcoming passport event to the Michigan Opera Theatre during a special workshop on Tuesday, April 14 at the Shaver Recital Hall.

The freshmen were treated to performances from Merry Widow, which they will be seeing on Sunday, April 19 as part of their Honors passport experience, as well as a question and answer session from artists Amanda Squitieri, Aaron Blake, Adrian Rosas, David Moan, and composer Gerald Steichen.

In addition to taking audience questions, each artist explained his/her role in Merry Widow and talked about past performances and locations they have visited during each of their careers.

Merry Widow, a three act operetta, revolves around a rich woman whose wealth would be transferred to her next husband, if she were to remarry, and the locals scramble trying to stop the widow from leaving the country with a foreigner and her loot.

An operetta is a short opera with a light or humorous theme and typically has spoken dialogue, while an opera is a dramatic work set to music for singers and instrumentalists.

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