Judith leaves her previous life behind out of love for Bluebeard and arrives at his castle – a dark and chilly place. Fascinated by the man about whom many rumours are circulating, she wants to find out about his past and his secrets. She is also determined to shed light on Bluebeard’s castle and demands that he open its seven locked doors. But Bluebeard finds it difficult to comply with her request.
He and Judith now argue over access to each door: she insists that he should allow her to see everything that is hidden, because she loves him. At first she sees terrifying things behind the doors – instruments of torture and weapons. But Judith also finds beautiful places in the rooms of Bluebeard’s castle, such as a magnificent treasure chamber and a secret garden – although traces of blood appear everywhere.
When the fifth door is opened, it becomes evident how large Bluebeard’s sphere of influence and power is. Behind the sixth door is a lake that Bluebeard thinks is filled with tears. Bluebeard wishes the last door to remain closed, but Judith wants to know everything: which women did he love before her? And what happened to them? The last door conceals Bluebeard’s memories of his former wives.
In the end, Bluebeard is left alone.
Material from Theater Hagen.
