Harold and Maude at the Duisburg Theater: A poetic plea for life


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Harold and Maude: A dark comedy about the joy of living
At the Duisburg Theater, on December 29, 2026, two people from vastly different worlds meet: Harold, a young man with a morbid imagination, and Maude, an almost eighty-year-old free spirit who sees every moment as an invitation to life. Colin Higgins' stage adaptation combines dark humor, poetic melancholy, and an unusual love story into an evening of surprises.
Between cemetery and joy of living
Harold attends funerals, stages spectacular suicides, and attempts in vain to win his mother's attention. In a cemetery, he meets Maude, who visits the same place for a completely different reason: for her, the encounter with death becomes the starting point for a passionate curiosity about life. Her unconventional energy shakes Harold's entrenched worldview.
An unusual love story
The dramaturgy of Harold and Maude touches on social taboos and turns the usual notions of age, desire, and self-determination upside down. From the meeting of two outsiders, a tender yet subversive relationship develops. Maude challenges Harold to shed his fear of life and face the world with open senses.
Dark humor with a poetic echo
Colin Higgins initially wrote the screenplay for the cult film from 1971 before developing the material further as a novel and stage play. On stage, the story unfolds its particular tension through the contrast between macabre situations and warm humanity. Staged deaths, quirky side characters, and grotesque moments intersect with a quiet reflection on transience, freedom, and the preciousness of the moment.
Theatrical experience in the Great House
The theatrical atmosphere of Duisburg's Great House provides an impactful framework for the tragicomedy. Between dark comedy and radiant joy of living, a performance emerges that emotionally moves the audience and continues to engage their thoughts. The art of acting thrives on the precise alternation between exaggeration, laconicism, and touching closeness.
Conclusion: A plea for the unusual life
Harold and Maude invites you to a theatrical experience that connects laughter and contemplation. The performance showcases a love beyond social conventions and reminds us that joy of living often begins where certainties end. Those who appreciate dark comedy, poetic theater, and extraordinary characters will experience an evening with lasting resonance at the Duisburg Theater.
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