The Land of Smiles - City Theatre Baden

Libretto by Victor Leon, Ludwig Herzer, and Fritz Löhner-Beda
Music by Franz Lehár
Cast
Musical Direction: Michael Zehetner
Production: Thomas Enzinger
Choreography: Evamaria Mayer
Set Design: Dieter Richter
Costumes: Sven Bindseil

Lisa, daughter of Count Ferdinand Lichtenfels: Nina Bezu
Prince Sou-Chong: N.N.
Mi, his sister: Mariella Hofbauer
Count Gustav von Pottenstein: Christoph Gerhardus
Tschang, Sou-Chong's uncle: James Park
Count Ferdinand Lichtenfels: Christoph Wagner-Trenkwitz
Lore, his niece: Anna Rosa Döller
Ling, high priest: Russi Nikoff
with orchestra, choir, and dance ensemble of the Bühne Baden

Description
An operetta about love, longing - and what lies between worlds. With THE LAND OF SMILES, Franz Lehár has created a work that is among the most moving operettas of all time. It tells the story of the great love between Lisa, a young woman from Vienna, and Prince Sou-Chong, a Far Eastern diplomat - two people who are willing to risk everything, yet fail due to the contrasts of their worlds.

From Lisa's dream of a shared life comes a journey into a foreign culture that fascinates and overwhelms her at the same time. At the prince's court, different rules apply: showing emotions is forbidden - "always just smile" is the command. What remains is the memory of a love that was stronger than reason and convention.

Lehár's music allows this story to shine in all its colors: from overflowing romance to quiet melancholy. "You Are My Heart" - the legendary "Tauber Song," specially composed for the famous tenor Richard Tauber, became a worldwide hit at its premiere and remains one of the most well-known songs in operetta history. With evergreens like "Always Just Smile," "At a Tea à Deux," or "Who Has Sunk Love into Our Hearts," he has created immortal melodies that continue to touch hearts today.

The Bühne Baden, as one of the leading operetta houses in Austria, dedicates itself to this masterpiece with the passion that keeps the genre so vibrant here: great music, deep emotion, and stories that strike right to the heart.
(Subject to change)