Timm Thaler

The story of the little boy and the 
big money, of laughter and tears, of 
a wager and a very checkered gentleman. Told 
by Timm, the puppeteer. Written for 
everyone who can still laugh, by James Krüss 

Faced with financial hardship after his father’s death, Timm Thaler sells his laughter to a devilish baron. From then on, he wins every bet and becomes the richest boy in the world. Only when he can no longer feel joy does he realize how precious his laughter is. Meanwhile, the baron uses the laughter he has purchased to gain people’s trust and make a fortune. Together with his friends, Timm must do whatever it takes to get his laughter back! But how? 

Director Katharina Birch brings this classic children’s book to the stage as a family play for ages 10 and up, featuring plenty of live music and the joy of performance. 

Author James Krüss, born in 1926 on the North Sea island of Heligoland, is one of the best-known authors of children’s and young adult literature and was awarded the German Youth Literature Prize for Mein Urgroßvater und ich. He also received the Hans Christian Andersen Award for his entire body of work. His books have been published internationally in more than 30 languages. Timm Thaler was published in 1962 by Oetinger Verlag in Hamburg; in 1979, the Christmas series of the same name achieved cult status.

The Thalia Theater is staging Timm Thaler to mark the 100th anniversary of James Krüss’s birth. At the premiere, the community of heirs of the author, who died in 1997, was thrilled. »James would have loved it!«