Casper is accused by a farmer of stealing his hay and the cart and cow that went with it. He tries to bargain over the compensation and settles the matter with a stick. In court, he insults the judge and beats the policeman. The peasant asks for him to be hanged, but Casper finds out and hangs him instead. Then he beats the policeman again. The judge wants him tortured and executed, but Casper beats him to death.

Glove-puppet

Young audiences

Germany

Sonneberg

Printed

Justice

Theft

Retribution

Punishment

Gallows

Torture

Police

Jail

Judgment

Prosecution

Violence

Assassination

Embezzlement

Silliness

Wickedness

Insubordination

Farcical

Ironic

German

Kasperl

Judge

Policeman

Peasant

Address to the public

Versified passages

Flying machine

Blow-with-a-stick

Parodic trial

Stichomythia

Foul language register

Comic equivocation

Hanging scene

Murder on stage

Epilogue

Casper soll ins Gefängnis kommen

Casper must go to jail

Cockatrice arrives at the Royal George Inn and impersonates Charlie Chaplin. The Landlord discovers that Cockatrice’s Magic Donkey creates gold coins, and he swaps it with his own donkey while Cockatrice is asleep. During an interlude, a Marionette informs the audience that a scene will not be acted. The scene was supposed to show the meeting between Cockatrice and the King to show his Magic Donkey create coins; the latter, having been switched, cannot do so, and Cockatrice is sent to jail. The curtain opens up to Blind Boy’s arrival at the inn. The Landlord tries to steal Blind Boy’s bag while he is asleep; Blind Boy wakes up and orders the Magic Stick to beat him. The Landlord confesses that he also stole the Magic Table and the Magic Donkey, but he explains that he was once a prince who became enamoured with Princess Razzlemond and that an evil fairy changed him into a Landlord and cursed him to steal all of his clients until one defeated him - just as Blind Boy did. In order to make amends, he gifts Blind Boy a Magic Fiddle that forces everyone to dance. Cockatrice and Columbus sing in their cell to kill time. They are brought to the public place to be tortured, judged, and executed before the King and Princess Razzlemond. Blind Boy interrupts the scene and, thanks to his Magic Fiddle, forces everyone to dance until the King pardons Cockatrice and Columbus. Princess Razzlemond asks Blind Boy to marry her, but he tells her to go to the inn, where her Prince, the former Landlord, awaits her.

String marionette

Not specified

Craig Edward Gordon

Italy

Marina di Pisa

Magic

Capital executions and executors

Comical

Satirical

Fantasy

English

The Magic Ass and The Magic Stick

Queen

Cockatrice

Basilic

Parrot

Blind

Blind Boy

Violin

Donkey

Innkeeper

Courtier

Guard

Guardian

Clerk

Executioner

Captain

Spectator

Puppet

Disguised character (false identity)

Story

Instrumental tune

Aria

Monologue

Compartmented stage

Song

Avista

Object coming to life

Crowd

Dance

The Roman Adventure - Parts Two & Three

The puppeteer is an inmate. He plays his puppet show for an audience of psychology students who have come to hear him relate his autobiographical story. He introduces the characters: Dean’s puppet, Wayne’s puppet, and the puppets of several dead boys. He also plays his own role, that of David. David and Wayne are a teenage couple. Dean is older than them. In their house, they talk of multiple murders they committed together: in the cave, the victims were killed by Dean, with the help of Wayne, after having been sexually assaulted, tortured and mutilated. The crimes were recorded on camera by David. The series of murders goes on until the murder of Jamie – a boy Wayne was in love with. Wayne is blinded by rage and kills Dean. David suggests that they put an end to the killing spree. Wayne agrees in a first time. But when he meets Brad, another boy, and engages in an erotic game at the end of which he takes Dean’s place: he tortures Brad until he kills him. After the murder, David kills Wayne during a panic attack. Then he calls the police and confesses to his crimes.