Yesterday evening, the festive premiere of the concert performances of ELISABETH took place in a unique setting in front of Schönbrunn Palace. The impressive open-air spectacle at the original venue under the direction of Gil Mehmert and the musical direction of Carsten Paap caused enthusiasm and great jubilation. The audience appreciated the performances of the soloists Maya Hakvoort, Mark Seibert, Abla Alaoui, David Jakobs, André Bauer, Daniela Ziegler, Moritz Mausser, Hans Neblung, Katja Berg and the ensemble with minutes of applause.

On Saturday the time had finally come: Disney's THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME celebrated its Austrian premiere at the Ronacher! The fascinating musical based on the world-famous Disney film with Oscar-nominated film music can finally be seen in Vienna.

What a special and emotional moment: After several postponements due to corona, Cameron Mackintosh's moving musical world hit finally celebrated its premiere last night at the new Raimund Theater. 

Newcomer Vanessa Heinz ("Kim") and audience favourite Oedo Kuipers ("Chris") thrilled in the leading roles of the famous musical by Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schönberg. Christian Rey Marbella made his Vienna debut with the role of the "Engineer" and brought great cheers from the audience with his performance. Gino Emnes, James Park, Abla Alaoui and Annemarie Lauretta performed brilliantly in the roles of "John", "Thuy", "Ellen" and "Gigi".

Yesterday WE ARE MUSICAL, the spectacular opening gala of the new Raimund Theater had its premiere. Celebrated musical stars such as Carin Filipčić, Ana Milva Gomes, Maya Hakvoort, Vanessa Heinz, Milica Jovanović, Riccardo Greco, Oedo Kuipers, Lukas Perman, Drew Sarich und Mark Seibert together with the large VBW Orchestra, presented the most beautiful musical theatre moments of the historic house.

VBW musical director Christian Struppeck and Ana Milva Gomes hosted the evening on stage at the Raimund Theater with charm and humour. All the performers were honoured with thunderous applause and standing ovations from the premiere audience - a well-deserved reopening of the newly renovated Raimund Theater.

The time has finally come – the world famous musical CATS returns to the Ronacher from May 26, 2021! After a break due to COVID-19, Andrew Lloyd Webber's masterpiece can be seen again every day except Mondays at the Vereinigte Bühnen Wien.

After record advance sales and completely sold-out performances, the show had to stop several times due to the Corona pandemic. Nevertheless, CATS has already been extended twice due to high demand and can now be seen at the Ronacher until June 27, 2021 and then again from September 11, 2021 for a third season.

Vanessa Heinz and Oedo Kuipers will play the roles of Kim and Chris in Cameron Mackintosh’s internationally acclaimed production of Boublil & Schönberg’s musical MISS SAIGON from autumn 2021. VBW Artistic Director Christian Struppeck brings the famous musical by the writers of LES MISÉRABLES as the opening production at the newly renovated Raimund Theater.

Vanessa Heinz is a winner of the 2019 “Bundeswettbwerb Gesang” singing competition, and Kim is her first starring role as well as her Vienna debut. For established musical star Oedo Kuipers, MISS SAIGON represents a return to the Vereinigte Bühnen Wien (VBW), having previously played the main role in the hit musical MOZART! at the Raimund Theater.

VBW Director of Musicals Christian Struppeck: “MISS SAIGON is one of the biggest hit musicals of our time. A moving love story, it has won countless awards internationally and attracted audiences of over 36 million all over the world. Vanessa Heinz and Oedo Kuipers are perfectly cast in the two main roles. Together with our first-class ensemble, who will be announced in the spring, they will make MISS SAIGON into an outstanding and exceptionally moving musical experience for our audiences.”

At the beginning of January, the eminent US entertainment industry magazine “BroadwayWorld” chose its favourite musicals of 2018/19. Vereinigte Bühnen Wien productions came first in eight out of 14 categories:

• Best Musical: CATS/Ronacher
• Best Musical in Concert: ELISABETH/Schloss Schönbrunn
• Best Actor in a Musical: DREW SARICH/JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR/Raimund Theater 
• Best Supporting Actor: STEPHEN MARTIN ALLAN/CATS/Ronacher
• Best Choreography: CHRISSIE CARTWRIGHT/CATS/Ronacher
• Best Set Design: JOHN NAPIER/ALAN WALKER/CATS/Ronacher
• Best Lighting Design: MICHAEL GRUNDNER/ELISABETH/Schloss Schönbrunn
• Best Revival: CATS/Ronacher

The musical theatre stars Maya Hakvoort and Mark Seibert will sing the roles of Elisabeth and Death in a large-scale concert performance of ELISABETH at Schönbrunn Palace. Maya Hakvoort has played the Empress Elisabeth over a thousand times in many different productions of the hit musical all over the world, but this will be her first time performing the role at the original historical location. Mark Seibert has played Death at the Raimund Theater, on a major tour of Germany and in the German-language visiting production in China, as well as in last year’s concerts in the palace forecourt.