Operetta and the (Viennese) Theater Censorship - Politics on Stage?

The study examines the impact of censorship on Viennese operetta theatres and theatre plays. The Niederosterreichisches Landesarchiv in St Pollen preserves about 15.000 censorship files from the late 1850s until the 1920s, documenting the act of censorship for various theatrical genres. After presenting the institutions and practices of censorship in the Habsburg Empire, three case studies demonstrate how censorship decisions were made according to the expected audience in different theatres and the political climate. Majestat Mimi (Felix Dormann, Roda-Roda / Bruno Granichstaedten, 1911), Der Vogelhandler (Moritz West, Ludwig Held / Carl Zeller, 1891) and Der Obersteiger (West, Held / Zeller, 1894) have been chosen for their topical relevance. Although music was never part of the actual censorship act, it probably still played a role in the decisions made about the operettas.