Kasperl leaves his wife Grete and resigns from his job at Stoffelbauer’s farm to explore the world. On the road, he meets the genius of the mountains, Cuivre Curpus. The latter is dressed as an old man and Kasperl gives him three of his copper coins. Cuprus thanks him and gifts him a magic violin in turn. Kasperl uses it to make the Jew Mauschl dance until he faints, after discovering that he was embezzling money. Two robbers – Fangauf and Schnapper – take advantage of the opportunity to steal Mauschl’s purse. Kasperl is then introduced to Duke Richard’s court as the violinist Spagatini, and he seduces the Duke’s daughter, Princess Amalie, as well as her lady-in-waiting. One day he is caught serenading them by night, but he makes the guards, the whole court, the princess and the lady-in-waiting dance. However, he is brought to justice and accused by Mauschl of having stolen the purse. As a result, he is sentenced to death. At the gallows, he asks to play one last tune on his violin, in the hope of making everyone dance and escaping. But Cuprus appears with Grete. He takes away the magic of the violin but promises to save Kasperl’s life, on condition that he goes back to his wife.

String marionette

Young audiences

Pocci Franz von

Germany

Munich

Printed

Beer

Sausage

Laziness

Money

Mines

Nature

Copper

Music

Concert

Genie

People and history

Magic

Love

Impossible love

Romanticism

Seduction

Serenade

Justice

Musician

Aristocracy

Princely court

Scaffold

Gallows

Tralala

Faust

Fantasy

Parodistic

Lyrical

Title page illustrated by the author in the original edition of the play

German

Kasperl

Madame Kasperl

Duke

Lady in waiting

Marshal

Judge

Clerk

Waiter

Guard

Valet

Domestic scene

Versified passages

Sung scenes

Metamorphosis

Chorus

Board

Dance

Caricature

Word for another

Song

Macaronism

Parodic trial

Deus ex machina

Metatheatre

Apparition

Die Zaubergeige

The enchanted violin

Florindo confesses his love for Rosaura to Fasolino, and he declares that this love is so strong that he will kill himself if he cannot marry her. But Fasolino explains that the marriage is virtually impossible, as Rosaura’s father – Pantalone – wants her to marry Gervasio, a wealthy retired colonel. Florindo sings a serenade for Rosaura, with a group of singers. Pantalone and Brighella hear the music and come out of the house to see what it is happening. Brighella tells Pantalone that this is Florindo’s plan to persuade Rosaura not to marry Gervasio. Pantalone asks his daughter to explain herself, and she confesses that she loves Florindo. Right away, Pantalone decides to leave for Paris with Brighella and Rosaura, so that the latter forgets about Florindo. Pantalone suggests that they invite Gervasio to Paris in the meantime. Florindo and Fasolino overhear him and decide to go to Paris too. Florindo promises Rosaura that he will meet her in Paris. Brighella tells Sandrone and Gervasio that they are leaving for Paris. Gervasio swears that he will get his revenge on Florindo, and he sends Sandrone to the port and asks him to save them cabins on the next boat.

Glove-puppet

Not specified

Nino Pozzo (Matteo Pozzo)

Italy

Verona

Handwritten outline

Boat trip

Social classes

Soldier

Comical

Nino Pozzo, Fasolino soldato in Francia

Italian

Pantaloon

Brighella

Servant

Fagiolino

Colonel

Sandrone

Polonia

Improvised dialogue

Fasolino soldato in Francia

Fasolino soldier in France

In Bavaria, Kaspar learns that Professor Johann Christoph Gottsched is conspiring against him. He goes to Leipzig to work as a servant, under a false name, in the house of Gottsched and his friend, the actress and theatre director Caroline Neuber. During a performance, Caroline Neuber symbolically banishes Kaspar’s character from the stage and dismisses the actor who successfully played him, Silvio. But Gottsched's ward, Lucinde, is in love with the actor: the two young people defy Gottsched's dismissal and marry in secret. In search of a new actor to play the comic role in a play by the student Gotthold Ephraim, Caroline Neuber offers the position to Kaspar, who declines and then reveals his true identity. The actress breaks up with Gottsched and hires Silvio again, as well as Lucinde. Kaspar is arrested by the Bavarian policeman Stadelmann, who has set out after him, but is finally released by Gotthold Ephraim and is praised by the entire audience.

Schmidt-Ziegler Tilla

Leipzig

Conspiring

Bavaria

Professor

Hanswurst

Literary criticism

Theatre

Reformation

Humour

Rationality

Women's condition

Pigtail

Wedding

Puppenkomödie aus dem alten Leipzig

Policeman

Johann Christoph Gottsched

Neuberin

Cook

Pasteur

Gotthold Ephraim Lessing

Off-stage voice

Disguise

Love story

Philosophical dialogue

Kaspar stirbt nicht!

Kaspar does not die!

Upon his return from his military service, Turiddu discovers that Lola, the woman he loved, married Alfio. He gets engaged to Santuzza in order to make Lola jealous, and then becomes Lola’s lover. Santuzza, who is desperate, reveals to Alfio that Lola and Turiddu are having an affair. She immediately wishes she had not told him, but she cannot prevent atragedy from happening. Alfio challenges Turiddu to a duel, and after having thrown dirt into his eyes, Alfio stabs Turiddu to death.

Rod and string marionette

Palermo

Typed or electronic text with handwritten annotations

Honour

Unfaithfulness

Jealousy

Murder

Duel

Dramatic

Sicilian

Per opera dei pupi e opera lirica

Lover (man)

Wife

Lover (woman)

Gossiper

Garbage man

Lamplighter

Fiancée

Father

Mother

Husband

Speech-narrative

Spying scene

Character leaning against the window

Knife fight

Stabbing

Seduction scene

Change of size on sight

Aria

Murder on stage

Cavalleria Rusticana

Rustic chivalry for opera dei pupi and lyrical opera

On his way to Paris, young d’Artagnan bumps into a stranger accompanied by a gorgeous woman he calls Milady. The stranger steals from him a reference letter addressed to Tréville – the captain of the musketeers. In Paris, d’Artagnan meets Tréville and earns the trust of the three musketeers Athos, Porthos and Aramis when he fights with them against the Cardinal Richelieu’s guards. The king gives the three musketeers and d’Artagnan thanks for their courage. Then, d’Artagnan saves Costanza – the queen’s lady-in-waiting. She entrusts him with a mission – to save the queen from a trap set by Richelieu. The queen gave aglets to the duke of Buckingham, who is in love with her, but they had been gifted to her by the king. In order to make the king aware of this relationship between the queen and the duke, the cardinal suggests that he organise a party and ask the queen to wear the aglets for the occasion. D’Artagnan then goes to London with the three musketeers, manages to recover the aglets and so to save the queen’s reputation.

Rod marionette

Bravery

Plot

Cloak-and-dagger novel

Friendship

Heroic

d'Artagnan

Milady

Innkeeper

Jean-Armand du Peyrer, earl of Tréville

Choir

Aramis

Athos

Porthos

Jussac

Louis XIII

Landlord

Bonacieux

Lady

Duke of Buckingham

Cardinal Richelieu

Earl of Rochefort

Anne of Austria

Queen

Chancellor

Duel scene

Sword fight

Spectacular turn of events

I tre moschettieri

The three musketeers

The puppeteer is about to tell a true story, the story of Lumi and Ginco, two young migrants from Albania. Their friend Vassillaq was supposed to play the role of the narrator, but as he did not show up, the puppeteer will do it for him. The young girl Lumi lives in Albania with her brother Bato and their grandmother. Their parents have lived in Venice-Mestre, Italy for eight years. One day the two siblings are finally able to join their parents: a wealthy cousin who lives in Canada has asked for Lumi's hand in marriage, and Bregan, Lumi's father, has accepted. Lumi and Bato embark on the perilous sea journey and finally arrive in Venice-Mestre. Another young Albanian, Ginco, has recently arrived at the site where Bregan works. He has no papers, but he is helped by Bregan and Vassillaq, another Albanian migrant with a passion for illegal car racing. As soon as they meet, Ginco and Lumi fall madly in love, but when Bregan finds out, he is furious: he wants to marry Lumi to her rich cousin. The day of the official engagement arrives, but Lumi is disgusted by her fat and pompous cousin. To punish her, her father sends her to live with her aunt, but Lumi continues to see Ginco and becomes pregnant. It is finally thanks to the intervention of the aunt that Bregan is convinced to allow the two young lovers to marry. The wedding finally takes place, but Vassillaq, who was supposed to be the groom's best man, is not there: he died the day before, while participating in one of his illegal races. That's why the puppeteer had to assume the role of narrator...