With Gotthold Ephraim Lessing's "Minna von Barnhelm", the Staatstheater Braunschweig brings a trenchant comedy to the stage that has touched and moved audiences for centuries and cleverly deals with questions of honor, love and social justice.
The Seven Years' War is over. Minna von Barnhelm is looking for her fiancé, Major Tellheim, whom she has not heard from for weeks. He is penniless because a bill of exchange he received for an advance is not recognized as his property by a Berlin court. Now he is stuck in an inn and has to vacate his room for a more solvent noblewoman. However, the fact that it is Minna of all people does not ensure a quick happy ending. Tellheim's wounded sense of honor stands in the way of a new relationship. Minna, a self-confident and self-determined woman, tries to get around the Major's obduracy, but although they love each other and both believe they are always acting in good faith, they constantly run past each other. This is what gives the play its comedic charm. However, Lessing, the great Enlightenment philosopher, does not overlook how war defines and changes social positions.
Lessing not only draws complex characters in the lovers, the other characters also act credibly against the backdrop of an exceptional political situation. "Minna von Barnhelm" is a plea for moral integrity in times when this may be particularly difficult. Because this comedy celebrates humanity, it has been one of the most popular and most frequently performed works in the classical theater repertoire for over 250 years.
Premiere September 19, 2025
Further performances: September 25, October 5, 11 and 18, November 1, 7 and 19, December 19 and 21, 2025, January 8 and 18, February 7 and 14, 2026
