Two friends, Mooney and Spooney, meet. They had pulled a bad prank on the king and were fired for it. Thus, they decide to become stationmasters. Orlando has to take a train to Birmingham, which saddens his wife, Sophonisba. He reassures her by saying he will be home for dinner. They agree to eat mutton. Mooney and Spooney, now stationmasters, start singing instead of talking, as was required by Bradshaw. They meet Kaffir, a mysterious character who does not speak their language. According to Mooney, Kaffir wants to be a train driver. Mooney gives him the position. Mrs. Muddle reaches the platform. She wants to take the train to Birmingham and send a telegram from there. A two-legged Bradshaw’s Guide appears in front of Mooney and asks him in a loud voice why he is not singing. He adds that Spooney sings out of tune and that both of them must stop singing. Orlando, now at the train station, refuses to pay for his train ticket but is forced to do so by the stationmasters. He puts his luggage on the train and leaves to fetch the money. When he comes back an hour later, he learns that the train left with his luggage before the time given by the Bradshaw’s Guide. When the train heading to Birmingham pulls into the station, Spooney and Mooney go warn Mrs. Muddle, but she wants to take an omnibus over the train. She leaves, accusing them of wanting to trick her. When she comes back to pick up her things, she learns that the train left with them. Meanwhile, Sophonisba worries about her husband being late. Their cook, ruined the meal and offers to make an Irish stew instead. Orlando comes home and curses the Bradshaw because the trains do not leave according to the guide’s timetables. Bradshaw comes into play. He states that he took revenge and changed the train schedules because his order of singing was not respected.

Young audiences

Carroll Lewis

Great Britain

Croft-on-Tees

Printed

Train station

Revenge

Train times

Train

Journey

Comical

Humorous

Farcical

L. Carroll, La Guida di Bragia. The Lewis Carroll Society of North America, 1999.

English

Announcer

Stationmaster

Husband

Wife

Traveller

Cook

Situation comedy

Word warping

Song

Personified object

Misunderstanding

La Guida di Bragia

Arriving in China after a failed emigration to America, Kasperl finds himself in the service of the Mandarin Quingquing, Emperor Schunschi's "Minister of Confused Affairs". While styling his master's pigtail for the audience, Kasperl gets annoyed at not understanding what Quingquing is saying in Chinese and slaps him to death. Kasperl disguises himself as a Mandarin and goes to the hearing in his place, where he argues with Schunschi. When Schunschi retires, he asks for a drink. A barrel is brought to him, but opening it is an actual Chinese puzzle. The ghost of Quingquing finally emerges. Kasperl knocks him out and then resolves to drink tea, promising himself to return to Germany without delay.

String marionette

Not specified

Pocci Franz von

Germany

Munich

Pigtail

Phantom

Despotism

Triviality

Minister

Barrel

Emigration

China

German

Kasperl

Emperor

Valet de chambre

Slave

Appearance

Disguise

Monologue

Murder on stage

Macaronism

Hyperbolic action

Ridiculous fight

Dialogue of the deaf

Parody of formal language

Slaps

Kasperl in China

The fisherman's daughter Lisi and the young bird-catcher Wastl live by a lake in Germany. They offer hospitality to the painter Wilhelm, who has just returned from Italy. The short play ends with a song to nature and joy.

Manuscript

Fishing

Bird

Nature

Painting

Picturesque

Countryside

Birdcatcher

Bucolic

Forest

Wood

Happiness

Painter

Music

Italy

Hospitality

Childhood

Lyrical

Allegory

Metatheatre

Final song

Am See

By the lake

The action is set in Châteauroux in 1875. Friturin the innkeeper is going away for a few days, leaving his wife Ursule alone with two servants, Jean and Mariette. A traveller, Corisande, arrives at the inn but has to share a room with Madame Friturin. Another traveller, Balandard, claims a bed in a shared room that happens to be the one where Corisande sleeps. Balandard cannot sleep because of the snoring of “his neighbour”, and, not knowing that it is actually Corisande, he shakes her up. Thinking that the aggression comes from Madame Friturin, Corisande protests. After quarrelling, they switch beds. Jean, who is in charge of waking up Corisande so that she can take her diligence, gets confused and wakes up Balandard. Corisande misses her diligence and because she believes that Madame Friturin is next to her, she accuses her of not having woken her up. Eventually, the misunderstanding is revealed. Balandard agrees to drive Corisande to La Châtre after having slept. When Monsieur Friturin comes back sooner than expected, hefinds a man in his wife’s bed. While this happens, a fire sets off in the inn.

Glove-puppet

Maurice Sand (Maurice Sand)

France

Nohant

Couple

Night

Fighting

Conflagration

Ironic

Eugène Lambert, George Sand, Maurice Sand : Corisande puppet

French

Les Oignons de Jeu-Maloche, Une nuit à la Tête de veau

Director of the theatre

Innkeeper

Police Superintendant

Valet

Fireman

Maid

Comedy of language

Aside

Brawl

Une nuit à Châteauroux

A Night in Châteauroux

Martin is secretly in love with the beautiful Eleonora Lambriani, a mysterious dancer with a legendary reputation. However, he has already sworn his love to Sophie. When Martin prepares to leave in order to offer his life and his money to Eleonora, his cousin Cassian arrives at his house. Initially inconsolable because of the departure of her lover, Sophie changes from the virtuous girl to the woman expressing her desire for Cassian, then she elopes with him by jumping out of the window. Martin dies by the hand of Cassian, poor as a church mouse, as he has lost all his money in a dice game against Cassian.

Schnitzler Arthur

Austria

Vienna

Berlin

Visit

Unfaithfulness

Dice game

Death

Loyalty in love

Sadness

Nostalgia

Seduction

Encounter

Temptation

Confession

Lust

Poverty

Luck

Deception

Battle story

Duel

Suicide attempt

Femme fatale

Burlesque

Parodistic

Der tapfere Kassian

Puppenspiel in einem Akt

Domestic scene

Argument

Plot twist

Love story

Deceived naivety

Teichoscopy

Der tapfere Cassian

The brave Cassian

Blind Boy, Cockatrice, and Columbus the Parrot are headed to Rome. The Magic Donkey refuses to walk because it is afraid of Cockatrice’s face, and until he wears a mask. At a crossroads where three different roads lead to Rome, they each decide to follow a different path and agree to meet at the Royal George, an inn. Columbus, disguised as a rich traveller, gets to the inn first. He uses the Magic Table to gift a delightful meal to all customers. After this meal, Columbus goes to sleep, and Oward, the innkeeper, switches the Magic Table with an ordinary one. In the morning, Columbus receives a telegram from the King of Rome, who is also the King of Europe, inviting him to his palace to meet his daughter, Princess Razzlemond, and to marry her. At court, Columbus tries to make another feast appear but fails. The innkeeper complains about his table being stolen, and Columbus is sent to prison.

Craig Edward Gordon

Marina di Pisa

Theft

Meals

Magic

Royal audience

Europe

Satirical

Fantasy

The Magic Table

Queen

Cockatrice

Basilic

Parrot

Blind

Table

Donkey

Postman

Peasant

Italian

Chambermaid

Herald

Trumpet (military man/woman)

Courtier

Guard

Prompter (theatre)

Masked characters

Instrumental tune

Aria

Compartmented stage

Inn scene

Parade

Avista

Object coming to life

Letter

Antiphrase

The Roman Adventure - Part One

Cockatrice, riding the magic donkey Brickle-Brit, is on his way to Rome. He envisions himself impersonating Charlie Chaplin in the inn where he has planned to meet his friends Blind-Boy and Columbus the Parrot. He complains about Brickle-Brit, thinks about his relationship with Blind-Boy, and ponders over different events in his life.

Identity

Hypocrisy

Immortality

People and history

On the Road to Rome

Mobile Panorama

Gretl complains about Casperl's absence, as he always comes home late and very drunk. When he finally arrives, she gets angry and wishes he would go to the Gold Star or the Silver Moon (these are the names of the taverns Casperl frequents) and never return. Her wish seems to come true when a small gold star appears to Casperl asleep and takes him against his will to the moon. At the end of an adventurous journey through different regions of the sky, Casperl is welcomed by the moon; but, exhausted, he falls asleep. When he wakes up, he is in his bed. Did his cosmic journey ever take place? No matter: Casperl resumes his tour of the taverns on behalf of the drinkers' association founded the day before and which has elected him inspector of drinking establishments.

La Guida di Bragia

Kasperl in China

Am See

Une nuit à Châteauroux

Der tapfere Cassian

Puppenspiel in einem Akt

The Roman Adventure - Part One

The Magic Table

Cockatrice

On the Road to Rome

Casperls Mondfahrt

Ein Casperlerlebnis in 3 Aufzügen

Die Fahrt zum Mars

Marionettenspiel in sechs Aufzügen

Die klingende Weihnachtskugel