A search for happiness - loosely based on Anton Chekhov
"Real life is different after all!"
A search for happiness - freely adapted from Anton Chekhov
Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2025 | 7:30 pm
House of the guest in Graal-Müritz
Rostocker Str. 3, 18181 Graal-Müritz
Performance: Cornelia Gutermann-Bauer
Text and direction: Günter Bauer
Duration: approx. 75 minutes, plus interval
Supported by atmospheric lighting and music, Günter Bauer's pointedly ironic stage text - inspired by the one-act play The Bear and other texts by Anton Chekhov - tells the story of a surprising turn in the life of a wealthy young widow. She increasingly sinks into the loneliness and meaninglessness of her "well-ordered" boredom.
Chekhov is famous for his clear, precise language, with which he depicts people's thoughts and actions in an unembellished way. Bauer's production combines the comedic framework of a heated argument - as an acting challenge between monologue and dialog - with themes from Chekhov's narrative and dramatic work. Motifs such as boredom, dissatisfaction, the search for meaning, indecision and the longing for a better life underline the timeless modernity of his work.
Julia's husband Nicolas has been dead for seven months - making her a very wealthy widow. Nevertheless, monotony, inner turmoil and the longing for a "different", supposedly true life dominate her everyday life. She hopes that this will finally bring her happiness and fulfillment.
One day, an unexpected visitor arrives: A stranger demands payment of an old debt left by her deceased husband. The initial argument about money turns into a passionate exchange of blows. Soon it is no longer about the demand - but about everything: about the relationship between husband and wife, about love, about life itself and about the question of the "right" life.
The entrenched structures begin to crumble, thoughts start to move - and suddenly events take a complete turn.
What initially appears to be a light, energetic comedy turns out to be a profound parable about modern man and his existential dubiousness. Prosperity and independence alone do not necessarily lead to happiness.
PRESS RATINGS
- "Expressive and touching ... Cornelia Gutermann-Bauer embodied both roles convincingly and spiritedly!" - Süddeutsche Zeitung
- "With an impressive presence, Cornelia Gutermann-Bauer lends the Chekhov texts fascinating intensity and lightness in playful, cheeky scenes." - Wiesbadener Kurier
- "Chekhov as a one-woman show: Cornelia Gutermann-Bauer sparkles with temperament! The Turmalintheater has brought Chekhov's story to the stage in a completely new way." - WAZ
- "Cornelia Gutermann-Bauer shines with a masterful role reversal: monologue and dialog in personal union, underlined by expressive facial expressions and gestures." - Königsbrunner Nachrichten
- "The audience got their money's worth: great theater, coherent, fascinating and impressive. The way the actress mastered the quarrelling duo with all the facets of wonderful acting was simply magnificent." - Rhein-Neckar-Zeitung
You may know Ms. Cornelia Gutermann-Bauer in the role of Franz Kafka from the production "Kafka - oder Das Zögern vor der Geburt", which shows episodes of a life drama that is not far removed from the ordinary in its intensity. The performance took place in Graal-Müritz in 2024.
Admission price for residents of the Baltic health spa Graal-Müritz & guest card holders: €16 / person
Note: Persons who are neither residents of the Baltic health spa Graal-Müritz nor in possession of a guest card are obliged to pay a daily visitor's tax in addition to the admission price.
Tickets are available in advance at the Haus des Gastes Graal-Müritz (Rostocker Str. 3, 18181 Graal-Müritz) or at the info point at the pier as well as at the box office - while stocks last!
Onlineticketshop | https://www.eventim-light.com/de/a/60f2af98fd5c7b2524ae5155/e/689c6320ded6182be78c5dcc
- On sale in the eventim-light ticket store | Admission price: € 17.55 per person (incl. ticket fee)
- On sale at eventim.de and all known advance booking offices: €19.15 per person (incl. ticket & advance booking fee)
Organizer: Tourismus- und Kur GmbH Graal-Müritz, Rostocker Str. 3, 18181 Graal-Müritz | Tel.: 038206 7030 | events.graal-mueritz.de
Photo: © Günter Bauer
