The Variety Theater

Just twelve years after its opening, the theater was destroyed by fire on May 16, 1884. A reopening as a theater was no longer possible due to new fire safety regulations. In 1886, Anton Ronacher bought the ruins and had Ferdinand Fellner the Younger, who together with his partner Hermann Helmer ran the most successful theater architecture firm of the time, rebuild a “Concert and Ball House”. Anton Ronacher had added a large ballroom and a hotel to the new building, which was intended as a variety theater, and he was also able to install electric lighting.
In 1888, the theater was reopened as the ETABLISSENMENT RONACHER. No elaborate stage technology was required for future use, and the stalls and boxes were furnished with tables where people could eat and smoke during performances. After just two years, Anton Ronacher had to resign from the management of his “Conzert- und Ballhaus” for financial reasons. From 1890, the performances of “strongmen and athletes” attracted visitors from the suburbs, pushing out the upper middle-class and aristocratic audiences. In the following years, the Variété program was mixed with revues and operetta guest performances, dance and singing soloists.

For years, dancers, magicians, acrobats and illusionists dominated the theater. One of the highlights was Josephine Baker's performance in 1932. However, the 1930s also marked the end of variety theater at the RONACHER, mainly due to the ban on performances by Jewish artists.

After the war, the stage served as a replacement for the destroyed Burgtheater and was used again as a variety theater between 1955 and 1960. In 1960, the RONACHER was closed and the ORF took over the building as a studio and stage space. After the ORF gave up the theater in 1976, it lay dormant for ten years. In 1986, a first step towards revitalization was taken with Cagliostro in Vienna and events at the Wiener Festwochen.
 

The new RONACHER

From 2005 to 2008, the RONACHER underwent a comprehensive functional refurbishment. The construction project with a conversion volume of EUR 34.1 million was carried out according to the plans of Architektur Consult ZT GmbH under Prof. DI Günther Domenig and DI Gerhard Wallner.
The RONACHER was reopened by Deputy Mayor Renate Brauner and in the presence of Federal President Dr. Heinz Fischer and City Councillor for Culture Dr. Andreas Mailath-Pokorny on the occasion of the gala premiere of The Producers on June 30, 2008. Today, the house is once again one of the “pearls” of Vienna's theater landscape.
In September 2009, the new Viennese version of the cult musical DANCE OF THE VAMPIRE celebrated its premiere at the RONACHER. From September 15, 2011 until the end of 2012, the hit musical SISTER ACT could be seen at the RONACHER. NATÜRLICH BLOND celebrated its premiere on February 21, 2013. From October 18 to 26, 2013, LOVE NEVER DIES, the sequel to THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA, was shown as a concert version. DER BESUCH DER ALTEN DAME, based on the play by Friedrich Dürrenmatt and starring musical stars Pia Douwes and Uwe Kröger, was on the Ronacher's program from February 19, 2014 to June 29, 2014. The Broadway musical MARY POPPINS enchanted audiences from October 1, 2014 to January 31, 2016.  The iconic musical EVITA by Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber celebrated its premiere on 9 March 2016 and could be seen at the Ronacher until 31 December. The musical DON CAMILLO & PEPPONE was shown at the Ronacher from 27 January to 25 June. On 30 September, the cult musical DANCE OF THE VAMPIRE returned to its original venue in Vienna to celebrate its 20th anniversary. In the 2018/2019 season, the musical BODYGUARD was performed at the Ronacher. Andrew Lloyd Webber's cult musical CATS was then on the programme for a total of three seasons. In October 2022, Disney's THE LADY OF NOTRE DAME comes to Vienna for the first time and celebrates its Austrian premiere.