Bluebeard's Castle

Before the music begins, the Prologue invites the audience to experience an old tale but asks, is the stage outside, or within?

In near darkness, the new bride Judith makes her way slowly down the stairs into her husband's castle. Bluebeard worries that she is afraid and regrets her decision to marry him, but Judith assures him of her love. Emerging into the hall of the castle, Judith discovers a space that is as mysterious and full of secrets as her new husband. Undeterred by its weeping walls and strange sounds, Judith asserts that her love will transform the cold, dark castle. When she sees seven locked doors before her, Judith  asks that they be opened to let in the sunlight and fresh air. Bluebeard refuses, but Judith is persistent and believes that her love will bring warmth not only to the castle but also to Bluebeard himself. He soon relents and gives her the key to the first door. 

Red light illuminates the space as Judith opens and discovers Bluebeard's torture chamber. Judith soon sees that the walls themselves are bleeding. Bluebeard asks her if she is afraid. Judith says she is not and dances in the red light. Convinced that she must share all his secrets, she tells Bluebeard that she loves him and that they must open all the doors together. He agrees and gives her the second key.

Despite her growing fears, Judith opens the second door to reveal Bluebeard's armory, filled with terrible instruments of war. Again, Bluebeard asks if she is afraid and again Judith says that she is not and that she loves him. Bluebeard gives her three more keys and says that she may look her fill but must ask no questions. He encourages her to open quickly and she soon sees that the third chamber is his treasury, filled with gold and jewels. It is all yours, he says. But for the third time, Judith sees blood, here on the very jewels themselves. Aware of Judith's growing anxiety, Bluebeard tells her to open the fourth door and let in the sunshine.

Behind the fourth door, Judith discovers a magnificent secret garden is revealed. She is amazed by the beauty and size of the flowers which seem to respond to her presence, but soon she sees that they, too, are stained with blood. Who has bled to feed your garden, she asks, but gets no reply. Instead, Bluebeard urges her to open the fifth door. To a huge swell in the orchestra, Bluebeard's vast domains are revealed. Judith is left breathless by the view but her anxiety returns as the clouds turn the color of blood. Despite Bluebeard's attempts to distract her, Judith is firm in her resolve to reveal all the castle's - and Bluebeard's - secrets. She demands that the final two doors be opened.

Taking the sixth key, Judith opens the door to discover a lake of tears, a solemn and melancholy place in which Judith senses the presence of Bluebeard's murdered wives. Bluebeard rebuffs Judith's questions about his past and insists that the last door must remain closed forever. But convinced that she knows what lies behind it, Judith demands the seventh key. From this last chamber, three wives emerge, beautifully dressed. Bluebeard exults as he describes them as embodying the morning, noon, and twilight. It is clear that he intends for Judith to join their ranks - as the fourth wife, she will represent midnight, eternal darkness. Judith pleads with him to spare her, but Bluebeard simply envelops her in a heavy robe and crown, saying she is the most beautiful of all the wives in his collection.