Buddenbrooks

A company steeped in tradition, an upper middle-class family and one name: Buddenbrook. With the three dissimilar siblings Antonie, Thomas and Christian a new generation of Buddenbrooks matures in the family, who wants to find their own personal happiness both in- and outside the traditional and disciplined Hanseatic merchant world. Thomas ambitiously takes up his inheritance as a merchant at an early age. Christian, on the other hand, would rather get to know the wider world and roams the clubs of London and Paris as an eternal bachelor and slob. Sister Tony falls in love, however, under her familys pressure she agrees to another, ultimately unhappy marriage at the end of the day. The family business once again achieves economic splendour under Thomas' leadership. His son and progenitor Hanno, artistically gifted yet sickly and unfit for business, epitomises the end of an era. Overwhelmed by the challenges of a shifting century, the Buddenbrooks are increasingly overtaken by the spirit of the times. Economic and personal incidents gradually interfere with the family's fortunes, causing gradual decline.

In his novel, Thomas Mann depicts how social and economic constraints lead to fears of loss and excessive demands. The name Buddenbrook remains associated with a world-famous novel as well as with the portrait of a society and an era in decline. The stage adaptation by John von Düffel shows the timeless drama revolving around tradition and renewal, happiness and loss, and family relationships which are always subject to social upheaval.