Comedy by H. C. Artmann, loosely based on Carlo Goldoni; adapted by Angelica Ladurner | Low German translation by Ulrike Stern; premiere: June 19, 2027
Due to constant financial hardship and a stomach that never stops growling, the shrewd Truffaldino decides to improve his life with a brilliant plan: he serves two masters at the same time—in secret, of course. But what was supposed to be a clever way to earn some extra money quickly turns into a chaotic series of mix-ups. For one of the “masters” is actually Beatrice, who is posing as her dead brother in order to get her hands on his fortune and start a new life with her lover, Florindo. The other “master” is Florindo himself, who is on the run after a fatal duel with Beatrice’s brother and is now frantically searching for her. The fact that both are staying at the same inn at the same time, unaware of each other’s presence, causes the shrewd Truffaldino to stumble ever deeper into a web of daring improvisations and white lies.
Carlo Goldoni’s*The Servant of Two Masters* is a masterpiece of the Commedia dell’arte. Even though the premiere took place nearly three hundred years ago, the themes of this comedy remain surprisingly relevant in an era of minimum wage debates, skilled labor shortages, and the chancellor’s criticism of “work-life balance.”
With sparkling wit, Italian flair, and North German quick-wittedness, the Fritz-Reuter-Bühne brings this theatrical classic to the Mueß Open-Air Museum as part of the Schlossfestspiele in a crisp, concise Low German version.
