Performer: Nathan Gunn

ENO's Merry Widow is big, brash, and more than a touch juvenile – but it's the most fun one can have at the opera.

Cast and choir snaked and kicked their legs through the aisles of the hall – picking up audience members along the way – leading to a riotous on-stage dance.

Returning stars and high-profile company debuts contributed panache to the energy-charged atmosphere.

A new bel canto opera, a pro football team, and the future of American Opera--all in a day's work for Heggie, McNally, DiDonato, and von Stade.

There was a nod to John Adams in the score, but also a kind of edgy Americana, complete with powerful writing for male chorus, and an attempt to communicate the flavor of rural North Carolina, not far from where Higdon grew up.

Only the slightest of quibbles with a fun, frothy new production of The Merry Widow at The Met.