Maria Theresia – Das Musical
28 December 2025
Ronacher, Vienna
4.0 out of 5.0 stars
Maria Theresia – The Musical is the newest production by VBW (United Stages of Vienna), the production company behind successful musicals like Tanz der Vampire, Mozart!, and Rebecca. The musical follows the life of the titular character, Maria Theresa, the influential Habsburg monarch who reigned for forty years in the 18th century. She was the only female monarch of the Holy Roman Empire, and one of the most influential women in European history.
The musical starts before her ascension to the throne, when her father Charles VI desperately tries to reign in the strong-headed young Maria Theresa. In a time when male heirs were the most important legacy of any monarch, Charles had only one child who survived infancy, a daughter. In a contested and controversial move, he established the Pragmatic Sanction of 1713, which secured his daughter’s place in the succession. Upon his death in 1740, Maria Theresa’s ascension caused widespread conflict when the monarchs of Prussia, Saxony, Bavaria, and France all contested her rule. Especially Frederick The Great of Prussia became Maria Theresa’s greatest rival, immediately invading and annexing Silesia, and rallying other monarchs against her. Throughout her life, she worked incredibly hard to gain recognition amongst her subjects and secured political standing through powerful marriages of her fourteen surviving children. There is a lot of history to be covered in just under three hours, a basic understanding of the political landscape and history of the time is very helpful in following the narrative.
The musical is presented in German, with surtitles in English beside the stage throughout the show. For non-German speakers it may be helpful to read up on the monarch’s history and ensure booked seats have a good sight-line of the surtitles.
Stylistically, the musical is incredibly modern, presented in a mix of styles reminiscent of Hamilton. From rap-infused pieces to full on belters, the soundtrack is compelling and engaging. Performances are incredibly strong throughout, especially from Maria Theresa (Nienke Latten), her husband Franz Stephan of Lothringen (Fabio Diso) and the extraordinarily charismatic villain figure Frederick II (Moritz Mausser). With a charming love story and a so much political drama, there’s a plethora of plot to get stuck in, all wrapped up in a gorgeous soundtrack that easily holds the audience’s attention throughout.
The stage design is uncluttered, with only a few set pieces wheeled in here and there, mostly dominated by a huge and grandiose backdrop that utilises projections and digital imagery to draw up elaborate backdrops and dramatic scene changes. I’m usually not a fan of digital stage backdrops, but this one is absolutely stunning, with smooth designs and beautiful transitions that work very well to illustrate the mood and feel of each scene.
Costume design is a little too modern at times, with Maria Theresa wearing knee-length dresses and boots for large parts of the production, more period accurate costumery would have suited the narrative a lot better. Especially the larger gowns towards the later parts of the show aren’t nearly detailed and elaborate enough. There are fun moments with the ensemble costumes, and some gorgeous designs to be seen, but overall the dress designs just don’t live up to the pompous and grandiose designs of the time.
The costumery is my only big criticism of the show though, the plot, soundtrack, lighting, choreography, and staging are absolutely stunning otherwise. A fantastic new musical telling the extraordinary story of a determined woman who changed the European landscape for decades to come.
