The show begins with a ballet by the Angels, who kneel before God. Then Mestre-Salas and Padre Chancas talk in a comic way. In the Garden of Eden, God creates the light, the Sun and the Moon, that all quarrel to determine which one of them is the most important. God creates Adam and Eve, then plants and animals. He asks the couple not to touch the tree of the knowledge of good and evil under any circumstances. The snake tempts Eve, who bites into the apple of the tree, then has Adam taste it too. God discovers their violation and throws Adam, Eve and the Snake out of paradise. On earth, Adam and Eve live in poverty – Adam works the land and Eve spins wool. Adam is angry and accuses Eve of having caused their misery and he hits her while she insults him. Adam asks for God’s forgiveness. Adam and Eve’s sons, Abel and Cain, make offerings to God. Cain envies God’s preference for his brother and makes fun of Abel (who wets himself out of fear) before killing him. Abel’s corpse is carried into Heaven by the Angels. Eve loses her temper with Cain, who insults her, shows no remorse and defies God. The latter curses Cain by making him all black and damning him. Even in Hell, Cain continues to brag, and he makes fun of demons. He cheats while playing cards again the Devil. The show ends with a gag: a voice in the wings relates that a banger popped in the room and tore a hole in the pants of a member of the audience.

Single rod marionettes

Double-faced head

Not specified

Portugal

Borba

Évora

Printed

Genesis

Original sin

Future punishment

Hell

Bible

Adam

Abel

Cain

Angel

Religious

Comical

Farcical

Fantasy

The Ballet of Angels by the Bonecos de Santo Aleixo

Portuguese

God (monotheism)

Choir

Moon

Vicar

Barker

The Interpreter

Demiurge

Snake

Devil

Spinner

Play in verse

Sung scenes

Off-stage voice

Murder on stage

Sarabande

Blow-with-a-stick

Ascent to heaven

Explosion

Animal cry

Pyrotechnics

Aside

Change of head on sight

Comical regional accent

Word warping

Lazzi

Kicking on the ground (sound effect)

Auto da Criação do Mundo

Auto of the Creation of the World

In a dark forest, Pulcinella encounters Dante. To get out of the forest, he will have to cross Hell, Purgatory and Paradise. Dante accompanies him in Hell, where Pulcinella meets Caronte (Charon) and fights Cerbero (Cerberus) and several devils. Lucifero (Lucifer) himself comes to drive Pulcinella out of Hell. He can now access Purgatory, where he is accompanied by Diego Maradona. There, he meets several souls that ask him to pray for them: the souls of a soldier, a priest, a prostitute and a guappo (local thug) killed by Pulcinella. He finally meets Death who plays tricks on him using skulls. After defeating Death, Pulcinella can access Paradise, where he is accompanied by Beatrice. In Paradise, Pulcinella wants to eat but San Gennaro explains that holy souls do not eat. As an exception, San Vincenzo Ferrer gives him a meal and Sant’Antonio Abate brings him a cup of coffee. At the end of the play, Pulcinella dances with Beatrice. With the journey over, Pulcinella now looks for his true Paradise: his lover Teresina.

Glove-puppet

Marotte

All audiences

Leone Bruno

Italy

Naples

Palermo

Electronic text

Purgatory

Heaven

Hunger

Love

Pulcinella and Dante in the dark forest

Italian

Pulcinella nell'Inferno, Purgatorio e Paradiso delle guarattelle

Pulcinella

Dante Alighieri

Charon

Cerberus

Lucifer

Diego Armando Maradona

Soldier

Priest

Prostitute

Thug

Soul in Purgatory

Death

Beatrice

Saint Januarius

Saint Vincent Ferrer

Saint Anthony the Great

Teresina

Pulcinellino

Baby

Fighting a monster

Inserting poetry

Versified passages

Apparition of the Devil

Dead talking character

Dance

Childbirth on stage

Nel mezzo del teatrin di nostra vita

In the middle of the puppet booth of our life