Popular Musical Theatre, Cultural Transfer, Modernities: London/Berlin, 1890–1930

Between the years 1890 to 1930 a large number of popular musical theatre shows—musical comedies and operettas—were exchanged between London and Berlin. This essay represents the first attempt by scholars to examine this cultural practice. It outlines the implications of cultural transfer and exchange in terms of theatre history generally and the more detailed mechanics of show “translation.” Using the figure of adaptation to explore cultural relations between two important metropolitan sites, the essay also examines the wider historical implications of this vibrant exchange culture, which was contemporary with a period when Anglo-German relations were generally characterized by marked hostility.