The knight Fichtou arrives on stage breathless: he hit an old man in the forest and his horse died by accident. He says goodbye to his horse then leaves the stage. The admiral Caratchou, a pagan, arrives. He is looking for adventures and decides to stay near a bridge to keep people from crossing it. Then he relates his various achievements. The knight Fichtou comes back and they both fight. Fichtou wounds Caratchou and forces him to abjure his religion, before fetching something to drink for him. He comes back with a watering can he took from a farmer after fighting him. Caratchou asks Fichtou to bring him the balms in his luggage to heal his wounds. He coats himself in the balms then stands up, healed, and says goodbye to Fichtou as he leaves, but he forgets his pants. Fichtou meets the Roi (king) de la Drap d’Maison and the prince Drap d’chiel à Bouton and tells them how he has freed the bridge. The prince brags about having won a duel against Caratchou. Then the three of them go have something to eat but the king can only afford some paltry leftovers meant for the cat. The king and prince go hunting. Fichtou meets a farmer and asks him to fetch his wife. He reunites with his wife and asks why she looks so unwell. Fichtou relates his fight against Caratchou and asks her wife why she is so pale. The princess tells him that she has given birth to a stillborn child, who was almost three metres high, and that they had to fold him in half to bury him. They both decide to go have a meal.

Single rod marionettes

Not specified

Belgium

Liège

Manuscript

Knighthood

Bragging

Duel

Miraculous cure

Meals

Comical

Epic

Histoire du Terrible Chevalier Fichtou (first page).

French

Knight

King

Princess

Peasant (man)

Monologue

Fight

Story

Histoire du terrible chevalier Fichtou

Story of the terrible knight Fichtou

The Roi and the Reine de Mars (King and Queen of Mars) wait for the arrival of a prodigious being, Matoum, but he is preceded by his doppelganger, the impostor Tévibar. While the poems told by Matoum bring light and colour to the planet, those delivered by Tévibar prompt melancholy and gloominess. During the sparring match between the two poets, Tévibar makes the Reine faint and the Roi die, but Matoum brings them back to life before flying to Earth to take part in the war.

Glove-puppet

Albert-Birot Pierre

France

Paris

Italy

Rome

Printed

Science fiction

Poetry

Mars Planet

Impostor

Vanguard

Seduction

Unwelcome seducer

Fainting

Resurrection

Ascension

Futurism

Fantasy

Satirical

Pierre Albert-Birot, Matoum et Tévibar, edition SIC, 1919 (cover)

or the enlightening and recreational Story of the true and fake poet

Prologue

Address to the public

Sticking

Interrupting

Misunderstanding

Song

Transforming scenery

Light effects

Blow-with-a-stick

Metamorphosis

Matoum et Tévibar

Matoum and Tévibar

Plum Plum is taking a walk. He runs into Plouf the dog but does not recognise him because the dog has caught a cold and is wearing a scarf. Plum Plum’s Maman (Mom) is looking for him because he left with a gun to go hunting. She finds him, but he shoots twice with the gun, out of fright. Plum Plum brings the gun back home and then continues hunting with a butterfly net. He catches Plouf. A princess is taking a walk in the forest. Zouzou the dragon appears, but he has the hiccups. He decides to kidnap the Princess. The Roi (king) calls for help and Plum Plum volunteers to go fight the dragon. He catches Zouzou in his net and the latter explains that he kidnapped the Princess so that someone would scare the hiccups out of him. Plum Plum threatens to cut his moustache off and to tie a saucepan to his tail. Zouzou is terrified and the hiccups go away. Plum Plum brings Zouzou to the king so that he can be taken to the zoo. The King and the Princess thank Plum Plum.