Faust invokes Satan, who appears as Mephistopheles. Faust devotes himself to the devil in exchange for the accomplishment of his every wish. He also demands that demons be at the service of his servant, Hänneschen, who will henceforth have the spirits of Parlicko and Parlacko at his disposal. In an inn, Faust gets angry at a prying student and makes a fire appear in his glass of wine. After that, he asks Mephistopheles to take him and Hänneschen first to Mount Olympus and then to a beautiful garden. Only one unfulfilled desire remains for Faust: finding a wife. Hänneschen seizes this opportunity to ask Parlicko and Parlacko to bring him his beloved Bärbel so he can marry her. Mephistopheles brings Faust the beautiful Helena, but when he tries to kiss her, she changes into an evil creature. The room turns into an infernal cave, and Faust is doomed amidst the flames.

Single rod marionettes

Not specified

Winters Johann Christoph

Germany

Cologne

Printed

Sorcery

Devil

Perlicke

Garden

Fear

Wedding

Lust

Tragic

Fantastic

Title page of the play in the periodical Das Kloster, 1847

German

Eine Geschichte der Vorzeit

Faust

Hänneschen

Domestic servant

Student

Peasant

Innkeeper

Satan

Mephistopheles

Spirit

Polichinelle and Pierrot rob a vegetable garden every night. The gardener sets up scarecrows. At first, the thieves tremble with fear and give up their loot before they discover the trickery. Then they put on the scarecrows' clothes to scare and hit the Gardener. The Gardener runs away, but he has recognised Pierrot and Polichinelle. He returns disguised as a ghost, but Pierrot and Polichinelle are not fooled and hit him again. When the Gardener wants to prevent Polichinelle from escaping, Polichinelle plants him in a pot with Pierrot's help. The wife frees her husband. They both fill a melon with powder and a wick. Pierrot and Polichinelle, mistaking the wick for a cigar, light it. The explosion sends Polichinelle and Pierrot flying out of the garden, but causes the house to collapse on the Gardener and his wife.

Glove-puppet

All audiences

France

Paris

Duranty Louis Émile Edmond

Theft

Vegetables

Scarecrow

Phantom

Hoax

Rake

Firecracker

Blast

Melon

Trap

Farcical

French

Gardener

Polichinelle

Pierrot

Gardener (woman)

Hidden character

Misunderstanding

Disguise

Plot twist

Blow-with-a-stick

Pyrotechnics

Explosion

Collapse of the set

Le Revenant

The Ghost

Tired of always being surrounded by unwelcome suitors, Pimpernelle organises a fake game of blind man’s buff with Lydia. Blindfolded, Pimpernelle will have to guess who is the man kissing her: the first one to be recognised will be the lucky man. Worried about the unpredictable outcome of the game, Estragon, Pimpernelle’s lover, is immediately reassured: at Lydia’s signal, Pimpernelle will know when it is Estragon's turn to kiss her. It is arranged that the game will start the same evening in a garden. As planned, Estragon is recognised and their love is revealed. At nightfall, the statues of a nymph and of a faun come to life, express their mutual desire, and then lament the rising of the sun. At dawn, the nuptial ceremony begins and the procession sets forth.

Shadow theatre

Bernus Alexander von

Munich

Fool’s game

Love

Gallantries

Jealousy

Secret

Lyrical

Fantasy

Comical

Rolf Erik von Hörschelmann, silhouettes and sets for the second scene of Estragon und Pimpernelle.

Chambermaid

Suitor

Faun

Statue

Nymph

Setup

Love duet

Statue coming to life

Night scene

Estragon und Pimpernelle

Estragon and Pimpernelle

Mrs Lee confesses her love to her Gardener, in front of her husband. The Gardener snorts in response. She gives herself to him, thrilled by the idea of joining their souls. As they are making love, the Gardener slits her throat with his scythe. Mr. Lee, who witnessed everything from the room where the audience is, is delighted that everything was fake and that it was just a dream. Aha and Blindboy, who witnessed it all, decide to go back in the past, disappointed by the modern world.

String marionette

Craig Edward Gordon

Italy

Marina di Pisa

Unfaithfulness

Spiritual union

Carnal love

Satirical

Erotic

Parodistic

Edward Gordon Craig, Uplifted Petticoats (front cover)

English

A Highbrow Morality Play for Men Only

Husband

Ahha

Blind Boy

Blind

Monologue

Address to the public

Seduction scene

Erotic scene

Murder on stage

Commentary

Speechless character

Blind character

Uplifted Petticoats

Madelon is angry with her husband Guignol. Because of his laziness, the garden has turned into a jungle, the harvest has been pitiful, and they have no food to feed the children. Gnafron promises that he will speak with Guignol. He tries to convince his friend to at least repair the spade, but Guignol thinks only of napping and eating. Gnafron then tells him about the magician he has just met. The magician promises Guignol a bountiful harvest, which will require no efforts as he will use herbicides. Guignol is skeptical, but the magician uses hypnosis on him and Gnafron. Now that he is free to act as he pleases, the magician summons his master – the Devil. With the help of his imps, the Devil sprays herbicides all over the land, and turns it into a desert. Madelon comes in with a gigantic cabbage. The magician attempts to convince her that this cabbage is far better than the old ones and that, when everything will taste the same, everyone will think the same and there will be no problems anymore. Madelon drives out the magician. The garden becomes wild again and Guignol wakes up – happy to find everything as it was before. He wishes to cultivate the garden, but Madelon asks him to leave it as it is. When Gnafron wakes up, he and Guignol come to the conclusion that one should be wary of all magicians.