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ORIGINAL BEAUTIFULLY COLOR ILLUSTRATED 1937 BERLIN OPERA HOUSE PROGRAM 'THE MERRY WIDOW' - HITLER FAVORITE OPERETTA

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The 16-page booklet was published for famous opera singer Wilhelm Rode, who was the Indentant or General Director of the German Opera House in Berlin (from 1934 - 1943). He is pictured with Die lustige Witwe composer Franz Lehár in this rare program booklet (photo left).

Die lustige Witwe or The Merry Widow is an operetta by Austro-Hungarian composer Franz Lehár. It was first performed in Vienna on 30 December 1905, and offered for sale on this USMBOOKS web page is a high-quality color program for performances at the famous Deutsches Opernhaus in Berlin during the 1937-38 season. Die lustige Witwe was said to be Adolf Hitler’s favorite operetta.

The embossed picture on the 8-5/8 x 5-3/4 inch cream colored cover shows the German Opera House in Berlin and the first page has a big Nazi eagle and swastika embossed above the words Deutsches Opernhaus Berlin.

The program is not dated but a previous owner wrote the date 1937 on the front cover. From the rare original program index or guide produced for “Community of Season Ticket Holders” at the Deutsche Opernhaus in Berlin for the season 1937-1938, we know Die lustige Witwe was indeed on the performance schedule.

The cream colored covers have some smudges but the pages are in very nice, carefully used condition. No odor.

Other pages have many beautifully printed color images of costumes and stage sets designed by well-known German film director, artist, architect, designer and Dr. Joseph Goebbels’ friend, SS Officer Benno von Arent (see reference photo right).

Von Arent was an early member of the Nazi Party and SS and one of Hitler’s favorites, who had been appointed Reichsbühnenbildner (Nazi State Stage Designer) in 1936. During the Third Reich he also designed the impressive diplomatic uniforms for the Foreign Ministry of Joachim von Ribbentrop, as well as Strassenschmuck or street decorations for major Nazi marches. SS-Sturmbannfuhrer Benno von Arent is even listed as an artistic consultant in the 1939-1940 catalog of SS Allach Porzellan-Manufaktur of München.

This is a beautiful Third Reich program booklet with clear protective pages in between all the color pages. It was printed in Berlin and still has its original yellow twisted ribbon.

Above we show the last image in this fine program booklet for The Merry Widow. Note that a previous owner glued a black & white picture of a man's face over the original color illustration.