The Foreign Service on Stage: The Merry Widow

Die Lustige Witwe (The Merry WIdow) is a comic opera by Franz Lehar. It tells the story of the tiny European country of 'Pontevedro'. At their embassy in Paris, all the Pontevedran notables are terrified that Hanna Glawari (the 'merry widow' of the title), whose late husband was the richest man in the duchy, will re-marry and give her fortune to a foreigner, which would bankrupt the nation.

The image of diplomatic service (exemplified by the song above) is the old one. Top hats, champagne parties,white gloves. International intrigue solved by a few waltzes and a chorus.

Thing is, it used to rather be like that. Diplomatic posts were not usually paid, meaning that only independently wealthy people could apply for them. People were generally motivated more by the prestige of hobnobbing with other high society types abroad rather than the opportunity to serve their country.

The Merry Widow may not be particularly deep but it's fun and lighthearted and a relic of a simpler time when high politics was a game.