From Vienna to the World

What do the musicals Elisabeth, Dance of the Vampires, Mozart!, Rebecca and Schikaneder have in common? Collectively, they have been seen by over 30 million people around the world, but have never been seen on Broadway or the West End. For more than three decades Viennese theatre company the Vereinigte Bühnen Wien (VBW) has commissioned and produced musicals that have received worldwide acclaim. Performed in 24 countries to over a million audience members annually, the company is the largest exporter of original musicals around the globe. Their shows are immensely popular in Continental Europe and South-East Asia, where they are affectionately known as “Viennese Musicals”. The first edited collection to focus on the musicals produced by the VBW, From Vienna to the World includes scholarship from six different countries, and approaches the VBW canon using a broad range of perspectives: hermeneutics, historical analysis, literary theory, musicology, music history, queer studies, adaptation theory and interviews. Shining light on the production processes, creative decision-making and unique features of the VBW musicals, this detailed study positions the production entity as a global force to be reckoned with.