Theater im Zentrum

The Theatre in the Centre stands in the Liliengasse in Vienna’s first district, a small playhouse with 230 seats. The building began in 1913 as Grand Gala, designed by Eduard Prandl for dance and song shows. During the First World War it served as a convalescent afternoon home for soldiers. By 1920 the name changed to Moulin Rouge and the room hosted dancers such as Willy Fränzl. Theatre architect Carl Witzmann rebuilt the space in 1929, raising the floor by two metres and removing the grand staircase. The entrance moved from Weihburggasse to Liliengasse, and the room became a two-level hall. Under directors Arthur Glück and later Fritz Grünbaum and Franz Engel it staged chamber revues with performers like Karl Farkas and Olly Holzmann. In 1934 the Moulin Rouge closed and its leaders were arrested for embezzlement. After Austria’s annexation, actor Adolf Müller-Reitzner opened a cabaret there with permission from the Nazi propaganda office. From 1939 to 1944 the Wiener Werkel produced ten programmes that mocked small failings rather than the regime itself. After 1945 the theatre became Literatur im Moulin Rouge, then the Intimes Theater, the Wiener Kabarett and finally in 1964 the home of the Theatre of Youth. Today the hall presents both plays and music in a compact, well-equipped space.