After the death of his father (a miller), Casperl inherits his old cat Muzl, who is no other than a naturalist magician turned into an animal for having questioned creationism: he has been sentenced to live as a cat until he has eaten the giant Lüpel. Muzl introduces Casperl to the local lord by making Casperl bring him rabbits and partridges, for the Lord loves them to the point of not eating anything else. However, Lüpel asks for the hand of Lord Rosalinde’s daughter through the intervention of the chamberlain Gummielastico. Rosalinde refuses and Lüpel turns Gummielastico into a rubber ball. Muzl offers his services to Lüpel and advises him to transform into a mouse to slip inside Rosalinde’s house. The giant transforms and Muzl eats him. Casperl marries the princess.

String marionette

Young audiences

Pocci Franz von

Germany

Munich

Printed

Last will and testament

Miller

Magic

Biology

Creation of the world

Homunculus

Hypochondria

Melancholy

Paranoia

Politics

Nature

Rabbit

Partridge

Wedding

Beer

Fantasy

Satirical

Illustration by Franz von Pocci for the edition of the play in 1862

German

Lord

Gamekeeper

Physician

Kasperl

Giant

Valet

Donkey

Teacher

Talking animal

Hidden character

Address to the public

Letter

Argument

Brawl

Song

Parodic trial

Monologue

Sung scenes

Instrumental tune

Word for another

Parody of formal language

Metamorphosis

Procession

Muzl, der gestiefelte Kater

Muzl, the Puss in Boots

The Devil Alfredo is in love with Colombine and wants to marry her, but he has cold hands. Arlequin is supposed to help him solve his problem. Before entering the puppet booth, the puppeteer informs the audience that, while tidying up his puppets, he found among them the puppet of a little rabbit, an abandoned orphan. So as not to leave it alone, he takes it with him on tour, placing it in a basket at the entrance to the puppet theatre, which is the devil's house. When the curtain opens, Colombina discovers the foundling: how will she hide it and protect it from the Devil? Meanwhile, the devil decides that to get rid of his cold hands, he must buy a pair of rabbit fur gloves.... Despite his attempts to harm Ginetto, the devil is ultimately defeated and transformed into an onion.

Glove-puppet

All audiences

Brunello Gigio

Italy

Mogliano Veneto

Childhood

Devil

Protection

Tenderness

House

Orphan

Foundling

Comical

Humorous

Italian

Arlecchino

Harlequin

Colombina

Colombine

Comical regional accent

Avista

Surprise effect

Silent play

Un trovatello a casa del diavolo

An orphan in the devil's house

Ginetto the rabbit is going through an important stage in his growth: his first birthday. However, the devil Alfredo wants to steal the gift that the puppeteer has prepared for Ginetto, “a pair of hands as soft and warm as bread”, hoping to win the love of Colombina, who refuses to marry him because he has cold hands. The devil almost succeeds in his plan, but is fatally transformed into an onion upon contact with water. Colombina cries over the loss of her future husband; Ginetto is sad because his party has been ruined and he no longer wants to grow up. In the end, however, Ginetto grows up and laughs when he thinks about how much he cried because he wanted to remain a child forever.

Not specified

Electronic text

Birthday

Absurd

Festa di compleanno

Metatheatre

Alternating narrative / dialogue

Dialect

Change of size on sight

Music

Pyrotechnics

Trovatello Due

Orphan Two

In school, Ginetto titled his essay "The Uncle is Dying." His uncle Harlequin is indeed tormented by an irrational fear of carrots, which forces him to stay in bed and causes him moments of delirium. His fiancée Columbine, who is pregnant, is overwhelmed by grief, and Doctor Balanzone thinks he is going to die. Brighella would like to take advantage of the situation to obtain the script of Harlequin's good jokes, but the latter does not want to give it to him. Brighella therefore hopes that Balanzone's predictions are correct, but he will be disappointed: Harlequin, through an evocation worthy of a psychoanalysis session, will recover the memory that traumatized him in his childhood, thus curing his phobia of carrots. The show ends with another happy ending: the birth of Harlequin and Columbine's son.

Adults

Molnár Gyula (aka Giulio Molnár)

Phobia

Carrot

Trauma

Psychology

Childbirth

Illness

Snowman

Pathetic

Ironic

Philosophical tale

Balanzone

Sister

Brighella

Mother

Choir

Philosophical dialogue

Childbirth on stage

Macaronism

Sick character on stage

Metadiscourse on puppet theatre

Off-stage voice

La carota

La carotte

Due to an economic crisis, all performances were suspended and the puppets were stored in plastic bags. Only the Economico puppet, which can play all the characters by simply changing its head, continues to perform. Arlecchino has had his mask taken away and his heart has fled in search of it. Even his stick has abandoned him: without his mask, Arlequin's wrinkled old face no longer makes anyone laugh. Ginetto the rabbit is afraid of having his ears cut off, Colombine is the victim of a hysterical pregnancy, and Crocodile, like an accountant collecting taxes, is always ready to swallow anything. However, the puppets trapped in the bags manage to free themselves by breaking the regime imposed by the Economico and, following Arlecchino, go in search of lost fairy tales and a beating heart.