This wonderful Lehár operetta not only has splendid music, the story is also amusing and full of surprises. Sir Basil, the somewhat ageing and senile governor of a small African country, falls deeply in love with Angela, a young and beautiful primadonna from Paris. He would marry her but such a marriage beneath his rank could cause great diplomatic complications. Then the governor has the brilliant idea, suggested by his wise advisors, that if she were to marry a gentleman of rank and later divorce him, Angela could then marry Basil. By chance René, a young and suitably poor artist, suddenly and unexpectedly inherits the title of “Count of Luxemburg”. In return for a payment, he undertakes to play the role of husband for a short time. The two young people marry without knowing each other or even seeing each other during the ceremony. It hardly needs to be said that the nominal husband and wife are brought together by chance and their meeting turns into true love…

Pál Ábrahám’s deservedly popular operetta is set in Nice. The Faublais have just arrived home from their honeymoon. Marquis Aristide de Faublais and his wife, the beautiful Madeleine still adore each other after their lengthy honeymoon. But … the husband’s rather stormy past suddenly intervenes, in the person of the Argentine dancer, La Tangolita. When he broke off their relationship the marquis had given the dancer a blank cheque for a night together which she could cash at any time. And Tangolita wishes to settle this debt at the grand ball in the Savoy Hotel. Madeleine is suspicious and also appears at the ball, disguised as an easy-living temptress. And to make things even more complicated, Daisy Parker, Madeleine’s girlfriend, a successful composer who has just arrived from America, and the marquis’ friend, Mustafa Bey, attaché of the Turkish Embassy in Paris, become involved as well. Of course, this charming, amusing story is just a pretext for Ábrahám’s sensational evergreen melodies, for the actors to sing and dance and display their talents in the excellent roles.

Mike the Magnate is one of the most successful Hungarian operettas, staged again and again in both music and prose theatres.
It was originally written for the legendary Hungarian acting pair, Márton Rátkai and Sári Fedák. Ever now, it is only worth reviving if there are charismatic, popular artists for the role of Mike and Marcsa.
This is perhaps the only operetta with a comic figure in the title role. Mike, the quick-witted stable boy, is transformed within minutes before our eyes into an elegant aristocrat. His hefty girlfriend Marcsa becomes a grand lady in evening dress, entering the assembled high-class company as Countess Mary.
All this happens because the haughty family refuses to even consider the idea that Baracs, the simple estate manager, wants to marry their daughter, Countess Rolla.
Luckily, the kleptomaniac grandmother is not concerned by such social prejudices and so the operetta comes to a cheerful happy end.