A Voyageur (Traveller) in a hurry is expected in a neighbouring town; he must cross the river, but the bridge is broken. Upset, he asks a young boy digging on the other side of the bridge if the water is deep. The answer of the “Petit Gas” (Little Guy) is not helpful, and he then mocks the bourgeois with a song. Then the two characters talk in cross-purposes; their dialogue is punctuated by the young rascal’s “tire lire laire” (rhyming nonsense in French), and culminates in the boy showing his behind. When he sees a Batelier (Boatman), the Voyageur hails him and asks to be taken to the other side of the river. The “Petit Gas” then throws stones at the boat, but the bourgeois manages to cross the river and canes the boy.

Shadow theatre

Young audiences

France

Paris

Printed

Mischievousness

Punishment

Ducks

River

Bourgeoisie

Appointment in town

Comical

Endpaper of the collection illustrated with shadow figures.
Source: GUIGNOLLET. Le Théâtre des ombres chinoises, nouveau Séraphin des enfants, recueil de jolies pièces amusantes et faciles à monter, illustrées de gravures représentant les principales scènes. Paris, LB-Bornemann, [after 1885], p.2

French

Le Pont rompu

Talking at cross-purposes

Argument

Aria

Running gag

Le Pont cassé

The Broken Bridge

Pauline, a noble but penniless young woman, is about to leave her friend Anastasie and the latter’s mother, Madame Samson, who accommodated her. Madame Samson informs Anastasie that an important visitor, the count de Morland, a rich man with a title, wants to buy their property. She specifies that he will arrive incognito. Anastasie, worried, fears that the count will covet Pauline. Her mother reassures her and says that her dowry of 300 000 francs is a lot more valuable than Pauline’s title of nobility. Soon after, Monsieur Sylvestre, a dance instructor, arrives to give a lesson. Madame Samson mistakes him for the count de Morland and begins a serious conversation with him, which puzzles Monsieur Sylvestre; he is unaware of the misunderstanding. However, he begins to take Madame Samson’s flattering words seriously. When she sees this “so-called count” from the window, Pauline quickly realises that it is in fact her dance instructor. At this moment, the real count de Morland arrives. Pauline welcomes him, and he explains that he met her mother in Paris and that she talked about selling the castle. As he is trying to negotiate discreetly, he chose not to reveal his identity—to avoid overpaying. Meanwhile, Monsieur Samson, puzzled by the odd behaviour of the so-called count, comments on his only talking – what is more, with great familiarity – about actors of the Opera. The real count is still incognito and takes part in the conversation between Pauline and Monsieur Samson; he mentions having heard that Monsieur de Morland will soon marry the daughter of an old friend of his father. At the same time, Madame Samson reveals that she already knew the real identity of the anonymous visitor (without specifying his name). Monsieur Sylvestre, still lost, is surprised to learn that a wedding involving him is still planned. Madame de Brennemur (Pauline’s mother) finally arrives and introduces her future son-in-law, the count de Morland, who wants to marry her daughter. Madame Samson introduces Monsieur Sylvestre as her future son-in-law too, also calling him “Monsieur de Morland”. At this moment, the truth comes out. In the end, Madame Samson comes up with an arrangement: the count can buy the castle for a reasonable price, on condition that this over-the-top story remains a secret.

String marionette

Bernard Laure

Castle

Arranged marriage

Professor

Happy marriage

Father

Suitor

Count

Teacher

Lady

Daughter

Aside

Misunderstanding

Situation comedy

Plot twist

Une méprise

A misunderstanding

Mr. Casperl, a wealthy man of private income, has an appointment with Lieutenant Säbelmaier and the wife of the secretary Federspitzen for an excursion to Lake Starnberg near Munich, but his barber comes too late and he has to leave in a hurry to catch his train, which had been announced late. In the second part of the play, the boat of the three excursionists is wrecked by a sudden storm on the lake. Säbelmaier and Mrs. Federspitzen probably managed to save themselves. Casperl has been living like Robinson for eight days in a deserted forest by the lake. He finally meets a sheep with whom he can talk about philosophy, because it is in fact the reincarnation of a professor and living proof of the truth of metempsychosis. But they argue and the sheep flees in the face of another coming storm. A hunter then finds Casperl passed out and wants to bring him to justice as a poacher, but ends up recognising him as the man who disappeared eight days ago, and Casperl concludes by recommending that the audience take the steamboat instead.

Pocci Franz von

Germany

Munich

Manuscript

Train

Railway

Train station

Independently wealthy person

Military

Secretary

Civil servant

Barber

Robinson

Shipwreck

Beer

Hunger

Lamb

Sheep

Metempsychosis

Reincarnation

Philosophy

Hinduism

Pantheism

Poacher

Loneliness

Parodistic

Burlesque

Humorous

German

Die Parthie nach Starnberg; Herr Casperl als Robinson

Die Parthie nach Starnberg

Kasperl

Lieutenant

Hunter

Dream

Unexpected turn of events

Monologue

Talking animal

Scene of recognition

Criticism of actors' theatre

Off-stage voice

Address to the public

Caricature

Philosophical dialogue

Casperl als Robinsohn

Casperl as Robinson

Two families, the Gobards and the Courbemanches, are driving to visit the military camp in Saint-Maur. On the way, they notice an accident, which sparks their conversation. When they arrive, they meet a Zouave and start talking with him. Later, they go to the camp of the Turcos (African infantrymen) and meet the Tambour-major (Drum major). They are asked to go to dinner: everyone is there apart from Agathe, the servant. The voice of a man as well as laughter can be heard coming from the woods, which scares the family as they were about to start their meal. Agathe returns, but it starts raining and everyone ends up drenched, tired and starving. The Gobards and the Courbemanches call it a night and part ways. Agathe is the only one who seems to have enjoyed the trip.

Glove-puppet

Not specified

Lemercier de Neuville Louis

Family

Journey

Army

Colonial troupe

Algeria

Satirical

Lemercier de Neuville, I Pupazzi. Front cover of the first edition, 1866.

Husband

Wife

Servant

Soldier

Zouave

Rifleman

Comedy of language

Allusion to current political events

Comic distortion of language

Dinner scene

Amphigory

Le Camp de Saint-Maur

Saint-Maur Camp

M. Prudhomme visits Madame Benoiton and asks for her youngest daughter’s hand for his son. At first, Madame Benoiton mistakes him for a merchant. Once his identity cleared up, Madame Benoiton suggests for them to talk and to get to know each other. During their conversation, she questions him on famous personalities and authors such as Victorien Sardou, Poquelin, Dumas fils, Octave Feuillet, Émile de Girardin, Ponson du Terrail and Timothée Trimm. The conversation, now light and mundane, is punctuated by dances: Madame Benoiton seems charmed by M. Prudhomme, thanks to his manners and his answers. M. Prudhomme does his best to give a good impression and assures that “like father like son”. The conversation continues with lots of compliments and mutual gallant remarks. In the end, they agree to the wedding. However, as he is about to leave, M. Prudhomme’s aside reveals that none of what he said is what he really thought.

Social Conversation

Wedding

Current events

Life of the theatres

Lemercier de Neuville, illustration for Les Fourberies de M. Prudhomme, 1868.

Bourgeois

Monsieur Prudhomme

Woman of the bourgeoisie

Sung scenes

Music

Current affairs

False exit

Les Fourberies de M. Prudhomme

M. Prudhomme’s Trickeries

M. Prudhomme and Madame Benoiton are impatiently expecting the birth of their first grandson. As soon as he is born, they start arguing about his future career: will he be a Zouave, a liberal writer, a manufacturer, a magistrate, a musician, a farmer or a poet? Every suggestion leads to criticism, showing their different opinions and prejudices about each job. However, the lively discussion does not come to a conclusion, and the issue of the grandson’s future remains open.

Lille

Birth

Child

Debate

Lemercier de Neuville, illustration for Le Petit-fils de M. Prudhomme, 1868.

Grand-father

Grandmother

Le Petit-fils de M. Prudhomme

M. Prudhomme’s Grandson

M. Prudhomme goes to the casino with the intention of winning back the dowry of his daughter Vénuska from a hundred sous note that dates back to Louis Philippe’s time. He pretends to have come up with his own foolproof system. When he arrives, he encounters the comedian Lesueur (literally, The-Sweat), a regular of the casino, who says that he adopted all sorts of superstitions to have luck on his side. However, he admits that the day before, luck turned its back on him after he forgot to put a bean in his pocket as a lucky-charm. Later, Lesueur comes back victorious: he finally won! M. Prudhomme advises him to stop here, but Lesueur decides to trade his bean for the leaf of an artichoke, hoping to extend his winning streak. We learn that M. Prudhomme also has some “assets”: he came with Madame Benoiton who is known to always play the number 22 and to win every time. However, she is absent at this very moment. Shortly after, Lesueur comes back disappointed: the artichoke leaf did not bring him luck and he lost everything. Discouraged, he decides to find comfort in a glass of absinthe. M. Prudhomme finally tests his system and comes back victorious after having won twenty thousand francs for his daughter’s dowry. When questioned about the secret of his system, he maliciously addresses the audience and says that they will have to come back in a year to find out.

Principality of Monaco

Casino

Luck

Money

Game of chance

Lemercier de Neuville, illustration for Le Système de M. Prudhomme, 1868.

Actor

Le Système de M. Prudhomme

M. Prudhomme’s system

The play is set in Cannes in 1871. Madame Palmer, her daughter Miss Kate (both Americans), Monsieur Balandard and his nephew Arthur, a young painter, are staying in a hotel. The young painter is in love with Miss Kate and paints her portrait. However, Miss Kate does not recognise herself in the painting and suggests, in Arthur’s face, that he find a “real” job. The young man is hurt: he draws a caricature of Miss Kate’s silhouette and complains to his uncle – Monsieur Balandard. Meanwhile, Madame Palmer organises an occult ritual with her daughter to find out the name of the daughter’s future husband. Cléophée, Madame Palmer’s occult “friend”, writes the name “Bal…”. From that moment on, Madame Palmer tries to arrange a marriage between her daughter and Monsieur Balandard. However, the uncle decides to help his nephew. To do so, he organises a fake occult ritual and hides Arthur inside a speaking bubble. In the end, the farce is revealed and faith in occultism is shattered.

Maurice Sand (Maurice Sand)

Nohant

Hotel

Painter

Unrequited love

Spirits

Occultism

Trap

Farcical

Eugène Lambert, George Sand, Maurice Sand : puppet of Arthur Dupinceau.

L'Oncle et le neveu

Balandard

Young man

Innkeeper

Constable

American

Young woman

Invocation of the spirits of the dead

Les Esprits frappeurs

The Spirits that strike

Christine is in love with Heini, a law student, but her father has promised to give her in marriage to the apothecary, a character so conceited and ridiculous that she cannot tolerate him. Heini resolves to leave for Leipzig in order to finish law school and he makes Christine promise that she will resist the apothecary’s advances in the meantime. The apothecary, however, learns that an uncle has bequeathed his fortune to him before he passed away, provided that he would marry his niece: he easily forgets about Christine. But his baseless allegations about Christine offend her father, and, as he is furious with the apothecary, he calls Heini back in order to organise the wedding of the young lovers.