Guignol embarks on a hot-air balloon set for the Moon, in order to escape poverty and make his fiancée’s dreams come true. The balloon takes him first to the Mer de Glace (a glacier in France), then close to the Sun, and finally to the Moon. Guignol is captured by the guards. But when he meets the king of the Moon, he succeeds in convincing him that it would be more profitable for him to keep him as an ally, since he could establish trades between the Moon and the Earth. Guignol also shows the king the power of firearms, which are manufactured on Earth. Firearms being a lot more effective than the low-tech weapons of the Moon, Guignol promises the king that they will help him subdue an enemy neighbour. He is then appointed general. Gnafron and Madelon eventually travel to the Moon too, and the play ends with a feast.

Glove-puppet

All audiences

France

Lyon

Manuscript

Excessive drinking

Cosmic journey

Money

Gas balloon

Parachute

Communication

Bear

Trade

Army

Comical

Parodistic

Fantasy

First page of the handwritten manuscript of Guignol dans la Lune

French

Pièce féerique en 8 tableaux

Guignol

Gnafron

Madelon

Prosecutor

Queen

Prime Minister

Soldier

Change of social status

Allusion to current literary events

Metadiscourse on puppet theatre

Dialect as a social marker

Letter

Pyrotechnics

Reunion

Guignol dans la Lune

Guignol on the Moon

A young boy named Pepperl is sick and can't go out. With the collaboration of Kasperl, who replaces him in bed and takes the medicines meant for him, Pepperl escapes from his house to go see the Christmas manger. Arriving on a flying saucer and disguised as an astronaut, the Man on the Moon convinces Kasperl and Pepperl to escape the boring festive season to celebrate Christmas on the Moon. Upon their arrival, they learn that the Man on the Moon was deceiving them. Kasperl loses his memory of his life on Earth. Thanks to the intervention of the Girl on the Moon and of Saint Nicolas who brings him a musical Christmas ornament, Kasperl recovers his memory. Saint Nicolas, Kasperl, and Pepperl return to Earth, where they are awaited by Father Christmas to celebrate the holiday.

String marionette

Young audiences

Germany

Munich

Audio-visual recording

Forced marriage

Identity

Nostalgia

Sadness

Visit

Regrets

Countdown

Oversight

Crater

Threat

Astronaut

Journey

Christmas

German

Kasperl

Pepperl

Inhabitants on the moon

Grand-father

Saint Nicholas

Doctor

Dialect

Object coming to life

Disguised character (false identity)

Flying character

Flying machine

Apparition

Entrance from below stage

Die klingende Weihnachtskugel

La boule de Noël musicale

After a prologue where Pulcinella introduces the play and the dog sings a song, Teresina is attacked by a man in the street. The Moon appears to Teresina and calls her to come in a bid to protect her. Pulcinella looks for his beloved but the Moon prevents him from approaching. Pulcinella disguises himself as a woman, he is attacked by the same man as Teresina, and is then pursued by Death disguised as a policeman who wants to tire him out with domestic chores. Pulcinella flies off to the Moon and persuades Teresina to come back with him. Back on Earth, the two lovers take revenge on their attacker, who turns out to be a child calling out to his mother for help, and they eat a dish of spaghetti.

Vecchia Irene

Italy

Naples

Palermo

Electronic text

Women's condition

Violence

Equality

Attack

Fear

Education

Wedding

Feminism

Gender

Italian

Teresina

Guappo

Moon

Pulcinella

Death

Aria

Confinement

Talking animal

Cross-dressing

Fight

Blow-with-a-stick

La Luna e Pulcinella

La Lune et Pulcinella

The plot takes place in 2080, on Earth - an utterly polluted planet on which live a little girl named Laetia, her sidekick dog, and Dragonis, her friend. Laetia enjoys stargazing, while her friend loves seeking remains of the past using a detector. Inside a meteoroid, they find an encrypted note regarding a treasure that could be found on a dead planet. Laetia and Dragonis decide to go after the said treasure. After many adventures on other planets, they finally get the treasure chest back thanks to enchanted phrases they learnt. When they return home, they find that the treasure is not gold, but rather seeds that will help making Earth a green planet again by growing trees on it.

Guignol dans la Lune

Pièce féerique en 8 tableaux

Die klingende Weihnachtskugel

La Luna e Pulcinella

Green Planet

Aventura Eco-Galáctica