# Musical Dome > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Musical_Dome > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Musical_Dome.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Musical_Dome > Source revision: 1289937243 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) The **Musical Dome** (2012 to 2015: **Oper am Dom**) is a 1,640-seat[1] theatre in [Cologne](/source/Cologne), North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It opened in October 1996. It was originally built as a temporary performance venue for musicals in Cologne's inner borough of [Innenstadt](/source/Innenstadt,_Cologne). The building has a distinctive [fiberglass](/source/Fiberglass) and steel structure, and is built on a promenade along the river [Rhine](/source/Rhine), in the centre of the old town, adjacent to [Cologne Cathedral](/source/Cologne_Cathedral). During the night, the Dome is illuminated with blue lights that can be observed from afar. The theater officially opened to the public in 1996. ## Building and location The Musical Dome is located between Breslauer Platz and the banks of the river [Rhine](/source/Rhine) near [Cologne's main train station](/source/K%C3%B6ln_Hauptbahnhof). A characteristic of the musical dome is the blue dome-shaped roof that is illuminated at night. In addition to the music hall it also houses a glassed-in foyer with bars, a restaurant, as well as administrative offices and a cloakroom.[2] The building is 174 ft (53m) wide and 253 ft (77m) long with a height of 89 ft (27m) at the highest point. As a result, the covered area is 43,056 sq ft (4,000 m2). The structure consists mainly of steel and glass. The roof, which covers the entire building, is made of [polyester](/source/Polyester) and suspended from external 30-ton steel arches. Due to the differences in elevation around the dome, the main entrance on the Rhine side is only accessible indirectly via a balcony structure. Underneath this structure is a paid parking garage for 60 vehicles. The auditorium is divided into two levels: orchestra and balcony. In all, the Musical Done offers space for 1,769 spectators, with 540 seats being on the balcony. Six handicapped accessible seats are located in the first row.[3] ## History The Musical Dome opened in October 1996 after a construction period of six months. Until then the site had long been used as a bus station and parking lot. It was used as an interim structure because at that time, the urban plan was to rearrange the Breslauer Platz permanently. Until the start of the construction work, the Musical Dome was supposed to be a temporary venue for the musical Gaudi by [Eric Woolfsen](/source/Eric_Woolfson) in a production by Elmar Ottenthal.[4] The musical that had been previously successful in [Aachen](/source/Aachen) and [Alsdorf](/source/Alsdorf), was however, a financial flop in Cologne. In 1998, the operator of the Musical Dome had to declare bankruptcy.[5] The producers [Thomas Krauth](/source/Thomas_Krauth) and Michael Brenner bought the Musical Dome from bankruptcy assets and in September 1999, they produced the first performance of the 1970's musical [Saturday Night Fever](/source/Saturday_Night_Fever) in German and first major En-Suite-Produktion (long-run production).[6]This was followed by the theater-musical [J*ekyll & Hyde*](/source/Jekyll_%26_Hyde_(musical)) (2003/2004) and the musical by rock band Queen [*We Will Rock You*](/source/We_Will_Rock_You_(musical)) (2004–2008), which, with a total runtime of 4 years, roughly 1,400 performances and about 2 million visitors, became the most successful musical in Cologne. In 2009 followed Monty Python's *[Spamalot](/source/Spamalot)* with a much shorter runtime. The musical *[Hairspray](/source/Hairspray_(musical))* was performed from December 2009 to September 2010. *Vom Geist der Weihnacht* ran from November 2010 through December 2010*.* During these performances, the Musical Dome was operated under the leadership of producer Maik Klokow and his conglomerate *Mehr! Entertainment* .[7] From March 2012 until November 2015, the Musical Dome was used by the [Cologne Opera](/source/Cologne_Opera) as a substitute venue during renovation of the Opera House at the Offenbachplatz, and during that time was named "Oper am Dom" (Opera at the Cathedral). The Musical Dome has since been reopened and used for musicals.[7] According to Cologne's city planning (as of 2018), the Musical Dome, which was originally intended to be a temporary venue, will be in operation until 2022, or until the Staatenhaus am Rheinpark (located near the fairground), can begin operations as the new musical theater venue.[5] In 2022, the interior of the Musical Dome was completely redesigned at a cost of about €4.5 million.[8] In the style of a Parisian nightclub, it is now the exclusive venue for the En-Suite production of the musical Moulin Rouge. ## Performances Only musicals and shows performed for longer than 4 weeks at the Musical Dome are shown below:[9] Musicals and Shows at the Cologne Musical Dome Begin End Musical Genre October 1996 Spring 1998 Gaudi Musical 11 September 1999 30 June 2002 Saturday Night Fever 15 November 2002 29 December 2002 Vom Geist der Weihnacht 16 March 2003 25 April 2004 Jekyll & Hyde 12 December 2004 28 September 2008 We Will Rock You 12 November 2008 14 December 2008 Cats 15 January 2009 13 September 2009 Monty Python's Spamalot 6 December 2009 26 September 2010 Hairspray 23 November 2010 30 December 2010 Vom Geist der Weihnacht 11 October 2011 27 November 2011 Elisabeth 21 November 2015 27 August 2017 Bodyguard 14 February 2018 29 September 2018 Tanz der Vampire 18 October 2022 Moulin Rouge! To date, the most successful musical production in Cologne has been the 2008 musical by Queen *[We Will Rock You](/source/We_Will_Rock_You_(musical))*, with two million viewers. The Musical Dome, not only offers a stage for musicals and long-running productions, but also serves as a venue for shows by international entertainers and musicians. The following were performed on its stage:[citation needed] - [Helene Fischer](/source/Helene_Fischer) (German [Schlager](/source/Schlager_music) singer) - [David Copperfield](/source/David_Copperfield_(illusionist)) (American Magician) - Der große chinesische Nationalzirkus[10] (Chinese National Circus) - [Die Tap Dogs](/source/Dein_Perry) (Dance production by Dein Perry) - [The Rat Pack](/source/Rat_Pack) (Informal group of entertainers) - [BAP](/source/BAP_(German_band)) (German rock band from Cologne) - [Patricia Kaas](/source/Patricia_Kaas) (French singer) - [Vanessa-Mae](/source/Vanessa-Mae) (Singaporean-born British violinist) - [Helmut Lotti](/source/Helmut_Lotti) (Belgian tenor and singer-songwriter) - Comedians like [Otto](/source/Otto_Waalkes) (German comedian, actor, musician, writer) and [Dieter Nuhr](/source/Dieter_Nuhr) (German cabaret artist, comedian) - [Die Schöne und das Biest](/source/Beauty_and_the_Beast_(2017_film)) (American musical "Beauty and the Beast") - [Thriller – Live](/source/Thriller_%E2%80%93_Live) (Concert [revue](/source/Revue)) ## References 1. ["Musical Dome Köln – Cologne, Germany"](https://www.event-destinations.com/en/germany/cologne/event-locations/musical-dome-koln). *event-destinations.com* 1. ["Musical Dome Köln – Cologne, Germany"](https://www.eventlocations.com/en/venues/musical-dome-koln-koln). *www.eventlocations.com* 1. ["Der Musical-Dome in Köln › Stylejournal"](https://www.stylejournal.de/freizeit/reisen/musical-dome-in-koeln). *www.stylejournal.de*. Retrieved 2023-11-16. 1. ["Gaudi | Musical | Eric Woolfson"](https://www.ericwoolfsonmusic.com/gaudi/home). *www.ericwoolfsonmusic.com*. Retrieved 2023-11-05. 1. media, KAYSERIN (13 July 2023). ["DER MUSICAL-DOME – Elf Fakten rund um Kölns berühmteste Show-Bühne"](https://yeswe.koeln/der-musical-dome-als-star-elf-fakten-rund-um-koelns-beruehmteste-show-buehne/) (in de-DE). *YES WE KÖLN*. Retrieved 2023-11-16. 1. ["En-Suite-Produktion & Long Run | Definition"](https://www.musical1.de/musical-lexikon/en-suite-produktion/) (in de-DE). *Musical1*. Retrieved 2023-11-16. 1. ["EVENT Köln – MEHR – BB – ENTERTAINMENT"](https://www.mehr-bb-entertainment.de/event-koeln.html). *www.mehr-bb-entertainment.de*. Retrieved 2023-11-15. 1. Keim, Stefan (November 20, 2022). ["Glamour und Niedergang der Musicals"](https://www.welt.de/regionales/nrw/article242204929/Musicals-in-NRW-Premiere-von-Moulin-Rouge-und-Insolvenz-in-Duisburg.html?utm_source=chatgpt.com) (in German). *Welt*. Retrieved 11 May 2025. 1. ["Concert History of Musical Dome Cologne, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany (Updated for 2023)"](https://www.concertarchives.org/venues/musical-dome). *Concert Archives* 1. ["Chinese National Circus | Deutsches Theater München"](https://www.deutsches-theater.de/en/chinesischer-nationalcircus-2020). 2 October 2019. Retrieved 2023-11-05. --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Musical Dome](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Musical_Dome) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Musical_Dome?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.