Saint Peter comes down to earth to grant three people of his choice the fulfillment of three wishes each. The first, a blacksmith, wishes that anyone who climbs into his pear tree to steal his pears can no longer come down without his permission, that people can only enter his house to disturb him through the keyhole, and that his bag fills with everything he wants to have in it. Peterle, the young boy who assists him at the forge, wishes to see his parents again in paradise, to have health, and to always be in a cheerful mood. Kasperl, in turn, goes to see Saint Peter and obtains that three wishes be granted to him, but asks to consult with his wife Gretl beforehand. However, they are unable to agree. Gretl finally blurts out that she would like sausages, which immediately appear on the table. Out of spite, Kasperl wishes that the sausages hang from his nose, but then he can't get them off, tries to shoot them off with a pistol, and accidentally kills his wife. A policeman arrives, whom he murders by suffocating him in the box where the policeman discovered Gretl's body. When he is about to throw the boxinto the water, the devil emerges, resurrects his wife, and beats him up. Now it is the blacksmith's time to die. Death, with a nail through his skull, comes to see him. The blacksmith asks him to pick a pear for him before following him. Death climbs into the tree and cannot come down until he has promised the blacksmith never to come back to see him again. However, he touches young Peterle, who had laughed at seeing him in such an awkward position, and he enters paradise. Then Death sends the devil to torment the blacksmith, but the latter, in the company of Kasperl, catches him in a bag as he passes through the keyhole and giveshim a severe beating. To avenge the devil, Death waits for Kasperl outside, but he manages to nail his skull to a tree and only releases him on the condition that he leaves him alone from now on too. After theFirst World War, however, neither the blacksmith nor Kasperl have any more taste for life. However, they are refused entry to both Heaven and Hell. The blacksmith then throws his bag over the wall of paradise and wishes to be there himself: he thus deceives Saint Peter. Kasperl has one last wish: he asks for theresurrection of the policeman, so as not to have his death on his conscience any longer. Entry to paradise is finally granted to him, but after a few years of purgatory: he will haveto return to his wife.

Glove-puppet

Rod and string marionette

String marionette

Not specified

Rokos August Franz

Czechia

Cheb

Printed

Smithy

Devotion

Wishes

Saints

Catholicism

Happiness

Beatitude

Sausage

Cold cuts

Knödel

Tavern

Heaven

Eternal punishment

Devil

Perlike

Police

Assassination

Feminicide

Hell

Child

Children--Death

Beer

Vanity

Inflation

Fantasy

Burlesque

Grotesque

German

Nach einer alten Erzählung für das Kasperltheater bearbeitet

Saint Peter

Blacksmith

Kasperl

Mrs Kasperl

Death

Angel

Policeman

Word for another

Versified passages

Domestic scene

Murder on stage

Hidden corpse

Light effects

Allegory

Apparition

Political allegory

Naive character deceived

Trap

Der Schmied von Jüterbock und sein Geselle Kasper

The Blacksmith of Jüterbock and his companion Kasper

Young Chorten and his guide walk through the Himalayas, forced into exile to escape the invaders who have occupied their country. Chorten does not want to leave his country, but the guide explains that it is necessary to continue living. On the way, they encounter a Yak, who will lead them to the neighbouring country. They also meet two other children, young Tsangpo and his sister Song, who are also on the run. The journey is hard and tiring, and the little Tsangpo cannot resist the cold of the mountains. Shortly afterwards, the Yak also abandons them. Chorten and Song are exhausted, but the guide convinces them to continue their journey. And finally they arrive: the signal is a light cloud of butterflies surrounding the children.