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

The people are against the reign of the countess Jeanne de Flandre (Joan of Flanders) and demand the return of her father, Comte Baudoin (Count Baldwin). Sire Raoul de Mauléon (Lord Raoul of Mauléon), Jeanne’s faithful servant, asks her for an audience. He reminds her of all the crimes he committed to get her the crown, and demands a reward. Their meeting is suddenly interrupted by the arrival of Sire Hubert (Lord Hubert) who announces that Comte Baudoin is alive and on his way to the court. As soon as he arrives, Jeanne will lose her crown. Determined to keep her power, she summons Burgue, another servant, and orders him to search for the man pretending to be Comte Baudoin. Shortly after, she announces that she will marry Sire Raoul de Mauléon, but she is interrupted by Comte Baudoin. The confrontation between the father and the daughter leads them to be summoned before the Court of Roi Louis VIII (King Louis VIII). During the trial, the Roi asks three questions in order to verify the identity of Comte Baudoin. The Comte fails to answer the last one. However, Sire Hubert intervenes, accompanied by Marguerite, another daughter of the Comte. Marguerite recognises her father, but it is not enough: Jeanne requires the “judgement of God”–a fight. Mauléon will fight for her, and Pierre de la Cy will defend Comte Baudoin. At the end of the fight, Pierre de la Cy is defeated and killed. Marguerite begs the Roi to let her follow her father in prison, and he accepts. Jeanne then goes to see the imprisoned Comte to force him to deny his identity by signing a document, but he refuses. Later, Sire Raoul de Mauléon is very remorseful and tries to convince Jeanne to end their criminal activity. She firmly refuses and orders Burgue to suppress him. However, Mauléon survives. Meanwhile, Sire Hubert and other Seigneurs (Lords) manage to free Comte Baudoin. Mauléon comes back and murders Jeanne before the eyes of Comte Baudoin and of the people; he is then killed by Sire Hubert.

All audiences

People

Countess

Crime

Crown

Power

Justice

Jail

Freedom

Remorse

Death

Melodramatic

Count

Lord

Cardinal

Guard

Soldier

Off-stage noise

False exit

Court scene

Fight to the death

Death on stage

Release of a prisoner

Jeanne de Flandre

Joan of Flanders

As a conversation goes on between Cassandre and Pierrot (his servant), we find out that Arlequin wishes to marry Isabelle, Cassandre’s daughter. However, Cassandre wants her to marry someone else. Pierrot takes advantage of the conversation to talk about the rumours going around in town regarding a witch. Cassandre, sceptical, does not believe them. Later, Arlequin relates having met an elderly lady who turned out to be a witch. Shortly afterwards, the lady appears and promises Arlequin a magic power if he becomes her spouse. He refuses and runs away with Isabelle. Suddenly, l’Amour (Love), the Bon Génie (Good Genius), appears in front of Arlequin and Isabelle. He recommends that Arlequin searches for a hazel branch that will be their talisman. However, their plan is soon exposed: the whole Caverne du Sabbat (Sabbath Cave) quickly discovers Arlequin’s intentions. At the same time, Cassandre and Pierrot start looking for Isabelle and Arlequin. In the end, Arlequin manages to get the magical talisman and finds Isabelle. Pierrot and Cassandre, still looking for Isabelle, fall into the earth where an enchanted broom relentlessly chases them, but they escape it.
 Arlequin and Isabelle are still running away while Cassandre and Pierrot keep trying to catch them. However, it is almost midnight: the witch’s powers over Arlequin will soon disappear. At the last moment, the witch manages to capture the lovers, but the Génie appears and reminds her that the evil hour has come. Powerless, she disappears. The Génie promises to take Arlequin and Isabelle to a city full of happiness, and to bring Cassandre and Pierrot as well.

Paris

Manuscript

Servant

Wedding

Love

Sorcery

Talisman

Sword

Chasing

Happiness

Comical

Le Balai de la Sorcière, first page of the manuscript.

Cassandra

Arlecchino

Pierrot

Witch

Music

Magical disappearance

Prologue

Apparition

Blow

Apparition of demons

Chase

Visual pun

Demons dance

Le Balai de la Sorcière

The Witch's Broom

In Jeu-Maloches, a village in the French department of Indre, flageolet player Arthur Graboyos became a waiter at the inn Hôtel du Veau Qui Désire Téter (Hotel of the Calf That Wants To Suckle) in order to grow closer to Dorothée – the daughter of the innkeeper Friturin. Arthur and Dorothée both want to marry each other, but Friturin refuses to let an artist marry his daughter. Arthur is expecting a donation from an uncle in America. Bidet – the postman – brings a letter of marriage proposal to Friturin. Bidet himself would also like to marry Dorothée; however, she rejects him. The shipowner Chandelle, who sent Friturin the letter to offer his nephew to Dorothée, arrives at the hotel with an enormous trunk filled with pepper. Friturin dismisses Arthur after they quarrel. The latter comes back disguised as a cook and hides in Chandelle’s trunk to abduct Dorothée during the night. But the trunk snaps shut on him with a padlock. Several misunderstandings and quarrels happen one after another – Dorothée believes that Chandelle is Arthur in disguise, Friturin mistakes Chandelle for Arthur and Chandelle does not understand that Arthur is his nephew because he assumed the name Graboyos for his career as a musician. Arthur comes out of the trunk and makes himself recognised. All the misunderstandings are clarified and Chandelle gifts Arthur forty thousand French francs so that he can marry Dorothée.