The knight Huldbrand gets lost on a stormy night by a lake and finds refuge with fishermen. He falls in love with the foundling Undine. The girl is in fact a mermaid, cursed by her people to dissolve into a wave if she is rejected by men, and to join them underwater if her true identity becomes known. Huldbrand marries Undine, but offends Berthalda, the adopted daughter of Prince Heinrich. When Heinrich visits Huldbrand, the fishermen recognise Berthalda for the child they had lost, but Berthalda rejects them with contempt. Heinrich banishes her from his presence. In despair, advised by the water genie Kühleborn, Berthalda publicly reveals Undine's identity and Heinrich curses her and Huldbrand. Huldbrand refuses, however, to abandon his wife and she takes him with her to live among her people under the waters, in a crystal palace.

String marionette

Young audiences

Pocci Franz von

Germany

Munich

Printed

Storm

Umbrella

Fisherman

Drink

Beer

Hospitality

Love

Wagner, Richard

Fish

Foundling

Marriage

Suicide

Contempt

Faithfulness

Paganism

Christianity

Mermaid

Marvelous

Comical

Parodistic

Dramatic

German

Génie des eaux

Ondine

Knight

Kasperl

Duke

Valet

Cuisinier

Souffleur de trompe

Light effects

Chorus

Parody of formal language

Song

Sung scenes

Transforming scenery

Scene of recognition

Brawl

Address to the public

Board

Undine, die Wassernixe

Ondine, the water nymph

The old Ablamore, father of seven daughters, of whom only one, Astolaine, is still alive, wants to make the young Greek slave Alladine his mistress. Alladine and Palomides, Astolaine's fiancé, fall in love with each other. While Astolaine resigns herself to giving Palomides her freedom, Ablamore sinks into jealousy. Alladine and Palomides, shackled and blindfolded, are locked in an underground cave. They manage to free themselves from their bonds and are delighted by the beauty of the cave and an underground lake. Astolaine and the six sisters of Palomides, who have come to rescue them, let in the light of day which reveals the true aspect of the cave. The two lovers become frightened and fall into the lake. After being pulled out of the water, they are placed in two separate chambers and, while talking without seeing each other, they both die.

Not specified

Maeterlinck Maurice

Belgium

Ghent

France

Lyon

Jealousy

Fiancé

Madness

Enclosure

Cave

Underground lake

Vision

Death

Light

Depreciation

Illness

Tragic

French

Soeur

Le Médecin

Monologue

Off-stage voices

Alladine et Palomides

Alladine and Palomides

The protagonist, Franz, is a young Viennese scientist who, during a hypnosis session conducted by Mesmer, learns that his cousin Angèlica, with whom he is in love, is in great danger. He decides to go to her rescue and, after many adventures, arrives in Budapest to find that she has just died. Convinced that she has been hypnotised by the alchemist Adam Le Fay, he keeps her body in ice, brings her back to his laboratory and tries various experiments to resurrect her. He fails and is accused of her murder by Napoleonic troops who have just entered Vienna. Sentenced to death, he is saved at the last moment by Le Fay who explains to him that if one of them dies, the other also perishes. They duel, Franz throws himself on Le Fay's sword, and both die at the same time. It is clear that they are two sides of the same personality, symbolising the conflict between rationalism and superstition.

Actor and puppet

Shadow theatre

Automaton

Adults

Sirera Rodolf

Spain

Valencia

Rationalism

Science

Religion

Superstition

Adventures

Alchemy

Symbolic journey

Hypnotism

Spiritisme

Double

Divination

Supernatural

Imbroglio

Hanging

Fantastic

Melodramatic

Philosophical tale

Catalan

Obra per a titelles i actors

Savant

Alchemist

Vieillard

Doctor

Franz-Anton Mesmer

Homes I Dones Espectadors de la sessió d'hipnotisme

Cocher

Cavalier

Lady

Aubergiste

Servante

Hangman

Corpse snatcher

Prison guard

Priest

Voisine

Funfair Traveller

Bookseller

Serviteur

Carpenter

Soldier

Executioner

Officer

Narrator

Magic act

Projections

Projected shadows

Surprise effect

Hypnosis session

Masked characters

Sword fight

Analepsis (Flash-back)

Prolepsis (Flash-forward)

La mirada de l'alquimista

The alchemist's gaze

A famous artist who has failed in her family and love life finds it very difficult to interact socially. She doesn't like fame and prefers to remain unnoticed, but everyone who knows her tries to take advantage of her success: family members, the mayor of her home town, friends who invite her to add glamour to their parties. One boy has very deep feelings for her, feelings that his Siamese twin does not share. Tired of it all, the girl accepts a frog's proposal: for her life to change, she must kiss it. She accepts and her fame disappears: she becomes a different woman.

Animated object

Mannequin

Ventriloquism

Zarzoso Paco

Success

Celebrity

Dissatisfaction

Living object

Animal

Metamorphosis

Twins

Siamese

Opportunism

Reification

Objectification

Divided body

Furniture

Hybridity

Twinning

Grotesque

Obra per a actriu i titelles

Old woman

Phone

Groom

Siamese Twin

Part of human body

Flower

Lamp

Wasp

Aveugle

Eagle

Mayor

Hand

Model

Swordfish

Grenouille

Serveur

Fiancée

Painter

Travelling clerk

Messaggero

Metatheatre

Personified object

Talking animal

L'èxit és l'ombra

Success is darkness

The puppeteer is about to tell a true story, the story of Lumi and Ginco, two young migrants from Albania. Their friend Vassillaq was supposed to play the role of the narrator, but as he did not show up, the puppeteer will do it for him. The young girl Lumi lives in Albania with her brother Bato and their grandmother. Their parents have lived in Venice-Mestre, Italy for eight years. One day the two siblings are finally able to join their parents: a wealthy cousin who lives in Canada has asked for Lumi's hand in marriage, and Bregan, Lumi's father, has accepted. Lumi and Bato embark on the perilous sea journey and finally arrive in Venice-Mestre. Another young Albanian, Ginco, has recently arrived at the site where Bregan works. He has no papers, but he is helped by Bregan and Vassillaq, another Albanian migrant with a passion for illegal car racing. As soon as they meet, Ginco and Lumi fall madly in love, but when Bregan finds out, he is furious: he wants to marry Lumi to her rich cousin. The day of the official engagement arrives, but Lumi is disgusted by her fat and pompous cousin. To punish her, her father sends her to live with her aunt, but Lumi continues to see Ginco and becomes pregnant. It is finally thanks to the intervention of the aunt that Bregan is convinced to allow the two young lovers to marry. The wedding finally takes place, but Vassillaq, who was supposed to be the groom's best man, is not there: he died the day before, while participating in one of his illegal races. That's why the puppeteer had to assume the role of narrator...