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© Vereinigte Bühnen Wien
Das Spitzentuch der Königin
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 January 2027 | ||||||
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Operetta in three acts
Libretto by Heinrich Bohrmann, Richard Genée, Julius Rosen and O. F. Berg
To mark the 200th birthday of Johann Strauss in 2025 his operetta Das Spitzentuch der Königin (The Queen’s Lace Handkerchief) returns on 18 January to the venue at which it was first performed in 1880. The waltz king’s seventh operetta was an immediate hit, and his biggest success up to that point, since it was so obviously a parody of the rebellious Crown Prince Rudolf, whose liberal ideas were giving the Habsburg monarchy such a headache. In this tale, Portugal is ruled by an unscrupulous prime minister who plans to sell the country off to the Spanish crown. And because the young king shows as little interest in politics as he does in his queen, devoting his time instead to delicious truffle pâtés and flirtations with other women, Portugal seems doomed. Luckily, the writer Cervantes, on the run from henchman, takes refuge in Lisbon where he very humorously interferes in the affairs of state, saves the country and in the process picks up a lot of ideas for his satirical novel Don Quixote. Following Crown Prince Rudolf’s scandalous suicide in Mayerling in 1889 the operetta disappeared from the repertoire overnight. Strauss, however, reused its main theme in his waltz Rosen aus dem Süden (Roses from the South), still a hugely popular piece today. Das Spitzentuch der Königin is a treasure trove of delightful and catchy melodies, and the fact that Strauss repeatedly has all of Portugal dancing waltzes leaves no doubt about which monarchy he is poking fun at here …
In German with German and English surtitles
Introduction to the work 30 minutes before curtain-up
Program and cast
Conductor: Martynas Stakionis
Director: Christian Thausing
Stage and Costume: Timo Dentler, Okarina Peter
Light: Sebastian Alphons
Choreography: Evamaria Mayer
Dramaturgy: Christian Schröder
Der König: Diana Haller
Die Königin: Elissa Huber
Donna Irene: Beate Ritter
Marquise von Villareal: Regina Schörg
Cervantes: Maximilian Mayer
Graf Villalobos: Michael Laurenz
Don Sancho: Istvan Horvath
Marquis de la Mancha: Alexander Strömer
Wiener KammerOrchester
Arnold Schoenberg Chor
Theater an der Wien
About the Theater an der Wien
The New Opera House is not just any theatre, but the one that Emanuel Schikaneder, the all-round genius, actor, impresario with a flair for organization but above all librettist of The Magic Flute, had built in 1801 in Vienna in keeping with the spirit of Mozart.
To coincide with the 250th anniversary of Mozart’s birth the Theater an der Wien presents itself as a new opera house from January 2006. As a “season” opera house with productions all the year round the Theater an der Wien carves a new and independent niche in the realm of high-quality culture in Vienna. For twelve months of the year, with one premiere every month, opera will be performed under the “stagione”, or season, system: that means the cast remains unchanged from the first performance to the last one, which guarantees that the very highest international standards are maintained.
The theatre’s modern, accessible approach to music theatre as demonstrated by the works performed, the overall artistic concept Bespielung and the artistes is further underlined by the building itself, its architecture and the vibrancy of its location. The surroundings and materials, the intimate atmosphere and perfect acoustics in the historical theatre prepare the senses to experience beauty. The Theater an der Wien deliberately enters into a symbiotic relationship with its lively surroundings on the Naschmarkt street market and the young cultural scene centred in the Schleifmühl quarter.
How to get there
With public transport:
We can be reached by public transport:
U1, U2 und U4 Station Karlsplatz, Exit Secession
Bus 59A Station Bärenmühldurchgang
Bus 57A Station Laimgrubengasse, pedestrians via Laimgrubengasse to Linke Wienzeile
KAMMEROPER:
Fleischmarkt 24, 1010 Wien
We can be reached by public transport:
U1, U4: Station Schwedenplatz
Tram Linie D (bei Ablenukung über Kai), 1, 2: Station Schwedenplatz
Bus 3A (on workdays)
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