Elisabeth, Empress of Austria, was born in 1837 and died in 1898. Her assassination by the Italian anarchist Luigi Lucheni was a crime heavy with symbolism, auguring the end of a cultural millennium. Read the complete synopsis. Browse through the lyrics in their original German, the lyrics from the Dutch production, or a partial English translation of the Vienna cast recording and some of the new songs that have been added.

Born as a simple Duchess in Bavaria, she became, at age sixteen, the first lady of one of the largest empires in Europe: the Austrian Empire ruled by the Habsburgs. Read more about the historical Elisabeth. Elisabeth opened in Vienna on September 3, 1992 at the Theater an der Wien. Find out more about the development of the musical, or try my quiz about the show.

I only own a few recordings of this show, though there are many others available. Read my reviews of the CDs. To hear some sound clips from the recordings, or to see some video clips of TV performances, visit my sound & video page.

After years of waiting, I finally got to see this show in Essen, Germany! And, because I loved it even more on stage than I did on CD, I had to go see it again. :-) Most recently, I saw the show twice in Vienna this fall. Find cast lists, pictures and some personal thoughts on the performances I've already seen in my experiences.

Part of the reason I love this show so much is the incredible people who have played some of its roles. Read a bit more about some of my favourites. If you'd like an Elisabeth background for your computer, check out some of these wallpapers, made by StageRose! Once you're done looking around here, check out some of the other fantastic Elisabeth sites that are out there.