Frank Wildhorn's ORLANDO Musical Will Make World Premiere in Austria

A new musical from Frank Wildhorn will make its world premiere in Austria. Orlando, inspired by Virginia Woolf's play of the same name, will feature music from the internationally acclaimed Broadway composer Frank Wildhorn, who has achieved worldwide success with musicals such as “Jekyll & Hyde”, “Bonnie & Clyde”, “Dracula”, “Rudolf“ and “The Scarlet Pimpernel” which have made musical history. The production is scheduled for the 2027/2028 Season at the Stadttheater Baden in Baden, Austria.

The theme of the musical is identity beyond gender boundaries, social attributions and time periods. Virginia Woolf's “Orlando” – published in 1928 – tells the story of a man who lives for centuries and over time both gender and perspective changes.

The musical adaptation of the literary source material is being undertaken by the Viennese Thomas Kahry, who among other things, wrote the book for the VBW musical “Maria Theresia”, which will premiere in October 2025 at the Ronacher (Vienna).

The lyrics are written by New York-based songwriter Morgan Reilly, the orchestrations and arrangements are by Koen Schoots.

The direction and creative development lie in the hands of the artistic director of Bühne Baden, Andreas Gergen.

This special cultural project is financially supported and made possible by Walter Feucht. He and Frank Wildhorn are connected, among other things, by their collaboration on the “Donau Symphonie”, which premiered in 2020 at the Vienna Musikverein with the Vienna Symphony Orchestra, as well as Wildhorn's most recent work, the “Odessa Symphonie”.

Photo Credit: Christian Husar/Bühne Baden