After Polichinelle’s greeting to the public, the play starts with the entry of Aveugle (Blindman), who begs for money. Aveugle accidentally hits Polichinelle with his cane; the two of them quarrel and Polichinelle knocks Aveugle unconscious. La Femme de l’Aveugle (Blindman’s Wife) is furious; she attacks Polichinelle and bites his nose. He knocks her unconscious as well and throws them both out of the hand-puppet booth. Commissaire (Superintendent) arrives and wants to take Polichinelle in. He asks Chat (Cat) for help, but the cat scratches him. Commissaire makes Chat believe that the gallows are destined for someone else. Pretending not to know how to slide his head through the slipknot, Polichinelle asks Commissaire to show him how to do it and takes advantage of the opportunity to hang him. He leaves, carrying Chat under his arm.

Glove-puppet

Trained animal

Not specified

France

Paris

Printed

Beggary

Clumsiness

Cruelty

Cunning

Trap

Disobedience

Cheekiness

Comical

Farcical

French

écrit sous sa dictée aux Champs-Élysées

Polichinelle

Blind

Wife

Police Superintendant

Song

Address to the public

Blind character

Fight

Blow-with-a-stick

Character thrown out of the scene

Comedy of language

Fight with an animal

Hanging scene

Drame du Polichinelle français

Drama of the French Polichinelle

The bachelor Gripandouille courted Polichinelle's wife, Colombine, who rejected him. Two jealous neighbours, Mrs Cassandra and Mrs Cababuche, slandered Columbine. To warn her of this, Gripandouile wrote her a letter in which he made an appointment with her. But this letter fell into the hands of the neighbours. Gripandouille found out about it and, wanting to take revenge, told Cassandra that his wife had an appointment with a lover. In the meantime, Mrs Cababuche told Polichinelle that Colombine had an appointment with her lover. Polichinelle went to the appointment but, mistaking Mr and Mrs Cassandra for Colombine and her lover, he beat them up. Then, realising his mistake, he hit Mrs Cababuche because she had lied to him. The two shrews then urged their husbands to kill Polichinelle, but he persuaded the two men to go and consult a sorcerer instead to find out the truth about their wives. The sorcerer revealed the wickedness of the two women. The Gendarme and the Commissioner, called in to administer justice, hanged the two women to the great satisfaction of the husbands.

All audiences

Duranty Louis Émile Edmond

Gossip

Vilification

Malice

Jealousy

Neighbour (Woman)

Unfaithfulness

Revenge of the husbands

Bad marriage

Shakespeare

Satirical

Magician

Colombine

Letter

Spectacular turn of events

Misunderstanding

Les Voisines

The neighbours

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.

Garden

Theft

Vegetables

Scarecrow

Phantom

Fear

Hoax

Rake

Firecracker

Blast

Melon

Gardener

Pierrot

Gardener (woman)

Hidden character

Disguise

Plot twist

Pyrotechnics

Explosion

Collapse of the set

Le Revenant

The Ghost

The play is set in Cannes in 1871. Madame Palmer, her daughter Miss Kate (both Americans), Monsieur Balandard and his nephew Arthur, a young painter, are staying in a hotel. The young painter is in love with Miss Kate and paints her portrait. However, Miss Kate does not recognise herself in the painting and suggests, in Arthur’s face, that he find a “real” job. The young man is hurt: he draws a caricature of Miss Kate’s silhouette and complains to his uncle – Monsieur Balandard. Meanwhile, Madame Palmer organises an occult ritual with her daughter to find out the name of the daughter’s future husband. Cléophée, Madame Palmer’s occult “friend”, writes the name “Bal…”. From that moment on, Madame Palmer tries to arrange a marriage between her daughter and Monsieur Balandard. However, the uncle decides to help his nephew. To do so, he organises a fake occult ritual and hides Arthur inside a speaking bubble. In the end, the farce is revealed and faith in occultism is shattered.

Maurice Sand (Maurice Sand)

Nohant

Casino

Hotel

Bourgeoisie

Painter

Unrequited love

Arranged marriage

Spirits

Occultism

Eugène Lambert, George Sand, Maurice Sand : puppet of Arthur Dupinceau.

L'Oncle et le neveu

Balandard

Young man

Innkeeper

Constable

American

Woman of the bourgeoisie

Young woman

Aside

Situation comedy

Invocation of the spirits of the dead

Aria

Les Esprits frappeurs

The Spirits that strike

Jan Klaassen announces to the audience that he has just married Katrijn and talks vulgarly about her. When she arrives, he beats her and continues insulting her. Kleine Ko (a puppet with a very long and expandable neck) arrives on stage dancing, his back to the audience. Jan Klaassen calls out to him, but Kleine Ko shakes his head at every question to answer “no”. His neck expands until it reaches the ceiling, while Jan Klaassen tries to pull him downwards, but Ko disappears. Jan Klaassen calls Katrijn to get a suit out of his suitcase because it is his birthday. Katrijn initially refuses, but Jan insists, and when she opens the case, he pushes her inside it and locks her in. Jan Klaassen tries to sell the suitcase to a merchant. When the latter opens it, Katrijn grabs him, and Jan pushes them both inside. He leaves singing. Jan Klaassen is about to become a soldier. A general arrives and tries to train him in weaponry, but Jan Klaassen plays tricks on him. The general is offended and challenges Jan to a duel. They both fight, using guns as swords. Jan Klaassen deceives the general, kills him and calls the undertakers to bury him. They have a difficult time putting the general in the coffin, but they finally manage it and leave singing. An executioner is setting up the gallows. Jan Klaassen asks the public whether he should be hanged there. When the executioner comes back to hang him, Jan Klaassen pretends not to know where to put his head and asks the executioner to show him. Jan Klaassen takes advantage of the situation and hangs the executioner instead.

Marotte

Netherlands

Amsterdam

Swearing

Wedding

Trunk

Duel

Janus Cabalt, Jan Klaassen en Katrijn, screenshot from a 1929 anonymous amateur film.