About the work
Edmund Eysler composed the three-act operetta "Der lachende Ehemann" to a libretto by Julius Brammer and Alfred Grünwald. It premiered on 19 March 1913 at the Bürgertheater in Vienna.
Plot
Factory owner Ottokar Bruckner cares only for his business and dismisses his wife Heloise's cultural interests; when he secretly goes hunting instead of travelling to Italy, she throws a party at which Count Selztal pursues her. Her husband returns unexpectedly, suspects her of infidelity and wants a divorce, until a lawyer untangles the mounting confusion between several couples.
Cultural significance
Between 1913 and 1921 the operetta was performed around 1,793 times, making it one of Eysler's most successful stage works alongside "Bruder Straubinger" and "Die gold'ne Meisterin".