After trying to rape Cécile (Cecilia), the Roi (King) wants to force Cécile to marry him. Gaymas, the Roi’s partner in depravity, is tasked with telling Cécile about the marriage, and letting her know that the man she loves, Valérien (Valerian), has been banished from the kingdom. The Anges (Angels) comfort Cécile and say that they will protect her. Cécile tells Valérien that she is a Christian and has taken an oath to remain a virgin. She makes Saint Michel (Saint Michael) appear, but Valérien cannot see him because he is a pagan. She sends him to wash the body of a leper; in the name of the Christian God, she gives him a “holy kiss”, after which he will be able to see angels. When he is back from his mission, Valérien can see Saint Michel. Like Cécile, he agrees to forsake the pleasures of the flesh; the two of them are preparing to become martyrs. When the Roi learns that they are Christians, they sentence them to death; however, he refuses to rape Cécile before – which Gaymas advised him to do. The Roi and Gaymas try to come up with torture methods for them, but Gaymas accidentally dies, and only Valérien is tortured. The Roi confesses his love to Cécile and promises that he will let her remain a Christian, even though it is against Roman law. But she demands to be sentenced like Valérien. As the Roi, furious, is about to rape her, Valérien appears, covered in blood; the ground opens and swallows the Roi up. The Geôlier (Gaoler) takes Cécile, to send her to the big cats of the circus. She reappears with Valérien; she is transfigured and surrounded by two angels.

Not specified

France

Paris

Printed

Martyrdom

Eternal punishment

Virginity

Promise

Rape

Carnal love

Renunciation

Torture

Torment

Religious

Tragic

Fantasy

French

Saint Michael

Angel

Saint Cecilia

Proconsul

Jailer

Address to the public

Apparition

Engulfment

Spectacular turn of events

Play in verse

Ascent to heaven

La Légende de sainte Cécile

The Legend of Saint Cecilia

Iacchos (Iacchus) and Minos welcome the souls of the dead in the Underworld. Hadès has just abducted Perséphone, Iacchos’s daughter, and threatens to rape her. But Perséphone takes a solemn oath never to marry him if he forces her to. In the world of the living, peasants deplore their harvest, which Déméter’s anger has dried. Daiphantus, Tellis’s father, mourns his son, who has just died; he was about to marry Lysilla. Looking for her daughter Perséphone, Déméter learns that she was abducted by Hadès and decides to bring her back. Hadès appears; he has been transformed by love and repents. Moved by this change, Perséphone agrees to marry him, if Zeus lets her. Déméter hears her and reproaches her for her decision; because of this, Hadès gives up on his plan to marry Perséphone. Iacchos manages to pacify Déméter, who agrees to let Zeus decide. She comes back to the world of the living; the harvests have been miraculously saved and everyone is celebrating. Tellis comes back from the Underworld and announces that, from now on, the souls of the righteous—including his own—will go to an enchanting place. Zeus appears, surrounded by Justice and Pitié (Mercy), and announces his decision: Perséphone will stay with Déméter six months a year, and spend the other six in the kingdom of Hadès.

Lust

Anger

Death

Grief

Eros

Repentance

Hell

Soul

Greek mythology

Zeus

Hades

Iacchus

Demeter

Persephone

Justice

Mercy

Minos

Choir

Aside

Deus ex machina

Les Mystères d'Eleusis

The Eleusian Mysteries

In a prologue, the pirate Willie McGowan expresses his love for pillaging ships and their treasures. Yet he is weary of being assaulted by warships since the thieves generally attack in the morning when everyone is asleep. Many men die, and the pirates' only booty is a few bottles of rum. Thus, Willie decides to give up his ship and to return to his hometown to take up a less depressing occupation. Three years go by, and Willie leads a contented life. He works on a boat, the Gleaner, and is well-paid. The ship's owner, Old Henderson, asks him to accompany migrants who want to go to America. Willie refuses; the Gleaner, he believes, will sink after three days at sea. Old Henderson tries to convince him that if the ship sinks, he could return on a sailboat stored onboard. He would be paid a handsome sum as the migrants have already paid their fares. Willie again responds with a no as he does not want to deceive the passengers. Old Henderson accuses him of cowardice and no longer being the pirate he once was. Jessie Henderson, his daughter, encourages Willie to go after the money since she could not possibly marry a poor man. Old Henderson finally decides to make the crossing with his daughter; he dreamt he would find treasure in the old garden near the Point, and he interpreted this as a good omen. Willie digs in the spot Old Henderson described and finds the treasure. The master of the crew, Bosun Hardbite, announces that all have survived the sea journey, except Old Henderson and his daughter.

Toy theatre

Young audiences

Ireland

Strete

Wicklow

Piracy

Swindling

Migrant

Treasure

Shipwreck

Ironic

Humorous

Dramatic

English

Willie McGowan / The Man Hunter of the Gulf

Pirate

Sailor

Emigrant

Daughter

Singer

Narrator

Song

Trap

The Treasure of the Garden

Le Trésor du jardin

Wandering in the forest, Kasperl finds refuge with a hermit, who wants to lead him to repent. The Devil plants a giant radish in Kasperl's path, a magical object that assures its owner that all his wishes will come true. Kasperl immediately orders six litres of beer from the radish, a dish of Leberknödel (liver dumplings) and cabbage, and a sofa to sleep off his drunkenness. The Devil then returns to damn him in the form of a prostitute who wants to lie down beside Kasperl; but he pushes her away violently, shouting that he is drunk and needs to sleep in peace. Then the sky opens up and angelic choirs sing him praises: Kasperl has triumphed over the devil and he receives a halo. Not knowing what to do with it, he leaves it with the hermit, who, in exchange, leads him out of the forest.

Glove-puppet

Blümel Otto

Germany

Gaienhofen

Radish

Knödel

Beer

Seduction

Temptation

Couch

Aureola

Hermann Hesse

Farcical

Satirical

Burlesque

German

Hermit

Kasperl

Devil

Der Teufel in Gestalt eines buhlerischen Weibs

Prostitute

Voice

Off-stage voice

Versified passages

Apparition of the Devil

Thunderbolt

Apparition of an angel

Chorus

Dialect

Der Klausner

The hermit

The first scene is set in the infirmary of a prisoner camp in Germany, at midnight, during the First World War. A French prisoner thinks about his lost loved ones: his wife, his son Jean (a pilot who died in combat), and his grand-children who were left orphans. At that moment arrives the Lune (Moon), “the Queen of Dreams”; she takes him to the land of dreams, and shows him a nursery in Hostiaz.
The second scene introduces an Ours en peluche (teddy Bear) sleeping on a child’s bed. The Lune addresses the Ours and during their conversation we learn that the Ours is in fact a shady businessman who fled to South America after ruining his shareholders. In vain, the Lune tries to convince the Ours to return the stolen money (represented by a diamond hidden in the Ours’ belly). She then starts sharing her heartbreaks: she is in love with Paul, a pilot who was amputated of both his legs. Having learnt of the Lune’s wealthiness, the Ours offers his services to help her gain the Aviateur’s (Pilot’s) love.
Paul opens the third scene, which is set in a living room, where he is with another character, the Rhabilleur (Clock restorer). The Lune tries to seduce Paul but he is the object of the Ours’ mockeries because he received a break-up letter from his fiancée. The Ours tries, in vain, to convince Paul to find comfort with the Lune. We learn that Paul is the brother-in-law of Jean, the dead pilot and son of the prisoner who appeared in the first scene.
A certain Rhodô, who is in love with Jean, took care of the children. The Ours decides to marry Paul to Rhodô because he is attracted to her, but she stays faithful to Jean. The Ours then tries to kiss Rhodô to get hold of her wallet. This triggers a general fight during which the Ours, with his belly ripped open, lets the diamond slip – it explodes in a blinding light. As the sun rises, all the characters run away. 
The fourth scene starts. All the puppets are on the main road. The Ours feels light now that he is rid of the diamond. The Choeur (Choir) and Rhodô teach Paul how to float in the air like a kite. A black dwarf arrives, driving a car. The puppets all climb into the car and drive off to a world beyond. 
The play ends at dawn with the Prisonnier (Prisoner) waking up. After having experienced the bliss of mystical freedom in his dream, he is now condemned to go back to this “eternal captivity”.

All audiences

Brazil

Jail

Dream

Adventure

Moon

Bear

Money

Love

Rivalry in love

Fighting

Freedom

Philosophical tale

Fantastic

Cover for the first edition: La Nouvelle Revue française, Gaston Gallimard, Paris, 1919.