Dragonne, the Génie’s daughter, is bored. She can neither talk with humans nor leave the forest, because the rivers are controlled by her father’s enemy, Fée Écrevisse (Fairy Crayfish). Being far-sighted, the Génie has prepared a gift for his daughter: the Jam-e-Jam Numai, or the mirror of the universe. This magical mirror shows everything one could want to see, across the entire world. However, the Génie imposes a condition on his daughter: she must never say the name of Fée Écrevisse; if she does, she would fall under her power – irreversibly so. Once she has the mirror, Dragonne watches a fight, hoping that she will find her husband. She focuses on a young warrior, Prince Belle-Épine (Beautiful-Thorn). She orders her father, the Génie, to plan her wedding with this knight. However, the young man is under the protection of Fée Écrevisse, and the king has already decided to marry him to his own daughter Églantine (French medieval name, literally meaning dog rose). Furious, Dragonne laments her fate and says that she is the most unhappy person in the world. Then, looking into the mirror again, she sees the princess Églantine: she orders the Génie to abduct her and make her prisoner. Prince Papillon (Butterfly) arrives at the king’s palace. Chevalier Belle-Épine, the king’s future son-in-law, has given princess Églantine three magical animals: a cat whose fur bristles every time someone tells a lie, a serin that can speak, and a mouse that can sneak everywhere. However, many at court are against this wedding: they do not trust a man capable of obtaining such gifts. Prince Papillon arrives and immediately seduces the entire assembly. He reveals that he has been defeated by Reine Abeille (Queen Bee); he asks the king to protect him. Benevolent, the king offers to accommodate him for three days at the palace. The audience then learns that Prince Papillon wants to marry Princesse Églantine. The third scene begins with Princesse Églantine going missing. The entire court accuses Chevalier Belle-Épine, because the magical animals he has given the princess have also disappeared. Soon after, Prince Papillon also vanishes. Distraught, the knight asks Fée Écrevisse for help: no one but her can counter the power of the Génie, who is the only one capable of catching the magical animals. In the fourth scene, Princesse Églantine, the animals and Prince Papillon are in Dragonne’s cave. The latter wonders whether Chevalier Belle-Épine will come to save his beloved. She demands that the prince and the princess marry, so that the knight can stay with her. She locks them both in a cage, with the animals. The mouse escapes and the serin points the princess to the magical mirror, which is behind the cage. Thanks to it, they can know what is happening in the kingdom. In a hurry, the knight steps on the mouse and kills it. Dragonne comes back; thanks to the mirror, she sees the knight approaching the cave. She hides the prince and the princess in a place even more secret. Meanwhile, the cat manages to leave the cage and hides.
Dragonne welcomes the knight and relates that she saw Princesse Églantine, radiant, in the forest, walking with a prince that looked like a butterfly. The knight takes her word for it. However, the cat suddenly crosses the stage; his fur is bristling. The knight understands that he has been lied to: he declares that he loves Princesse Églantine and promises to take revenge. He steals the magical mirror to give it to Fée Écrevisse, who would do anything to obtain it. Dragonne tells the knight to bid the princess and the prince goodbye, as they will be left with the tigers in the forest. But the knight runs towards the mirror and calls Fée Écrevisse: she appears, furious. With a magical gesture, she turns Dragonne into a lioness. The knight and Princesse Églantine’s wedding can finally be celebrated. The fairy also conjures Reine Abeille, so she can resolve her conflict with Prince Papillon. After a short but decisive conversation, Reine Abeille agrees to marry Prince Papillon. Together, they go back to their kingdom.

String marionette

Young audiences

Bernard Laure

France

Le Havre

Printed

Father-daughter relationship

Forest

Whim

Fairy

Magic

Prince

Knighthood

Rivalry in love

Kingdoms

Princess

Kidnapping

Happy marriage

Fantasy

Illustration for Le Jam-e-Jam Numai ou Miroir magique (Laure Bernard, Théâtre de marionnettes, 1837).

French

King

Knight

Genie

Daughter

Queen

Nurse

Governess

Dancer

Mouse

Bird

Apparition of a genie

Object magically appearing

Talking animal

Aside

Initiatory quest

Hidden character

Metamorphosis

Magical formula

Character represented in animal form

Change of head on sight

Le Jam-e-Jam Numai ou Miroir magique

The Jam-e-Jam Numai or the Magical Mirror

Pauline, a noble but penniless young woman, is about to leave her friend Anastasie and the latter’s mother, Madame Samson, who accommodated her. Madame Samson informs Anastasie that an important visitor, the count de Morland, a rich man with a title, wants to buy their property. She specifies that he will arrive incognito. Anastasie, worried, fears that the count will covet Pauline. Her mother reassures her and says that her dowry of 300 000 francs is a lot more valuable than Pauline’s title of nobility. Soon after, Monsieur Sylvestre, a dance instructor, arrives to give a lesson. Madame Samson mistakes him for the count de Morland and begins a serious conversation with him, which puzzles Monsieur Sylvestre; he is unaware of the misunderstanding. However, he begins to take Madame Samson’s flattering words seriously. When she sees this “so-called count” from the window, Pauline quickly realises that it is in fact her dance instructor. At this moment, the real count de Morland arrives. Pauline welcomes him, and he explains that he met her mother in Paris and that she talked about selling the castle. As he is trying to negotiate discreetly, he chose not to reveal his identity—to avoid overpaying. Meanwhile, Monsieur Samson, puzzled by the odd behaviour of the so-called count, comments on his only talking – what is more, with great familiarity – about actors of the Opera. The real count is still incognito and takes part in the conversation between Pauline and Monsieur Samson; he mentions having heard that Monsieur de Morland will soon marry the daughter of an old friend of his father. At the same time, Madame Samson reveals that she already knew the real identity of the anonymous visitor (without specifying his name). Monsieur Sylvestre, still lost, is surprised to learn that a wedding involving him is still planned. Madame de Brennemur (Pauline’s mother) finally arrives and introduces her future son-in-law, the count de Morland, who wants to marry her daughter. Madame Samson introduces Monsieur Sylvestre as her future son-in-law too, also calling him “Monsieur de Morland”. At this moment, the truth comes out. In the end, Madame Samson comes up with an arrangement: the count can buy the castle for a reasonable price, on condition that this over-the-top story remains a secret.