A Soldier gives his only three coins to a Beggar whom he crosses path with thrice. The latter reveals himself to be SaintPeter. Saint Peter wanted to test the Soldier’s generosity, so he gives him a magical bag which can make all of his wishes come true. In a tavern, the Soldier learns that the Princess Tutu is held prisoner by the Devil in a haunted castle. Thrown out of the tavern after having stolen a turkey and some wine, the Soldier finds shelter for the night in the castle. He captures the Devil thanks to his bag and hands him over to the King. They kill the Devil together. However, the King had granted his daughter’s hand in marriage to Prince Panpan. The Soldier convinces the King to let him marry his daughter instead, and swears to defeat the army of Prince Panpan. Thanks to his magical bag, the Soldier prevails over the army. But Prince Panpan, the King and Princess Tutu, who has become weary of her new husband, unite so that they can kill the Soldier. The Princess tells them of the secret bag. Together, they hang the bag over the ramparts, but they get carried away by the weight of the Soldier and they all crash on the ground. The three characters knock on Heaven’s door, but they are denied access. The Soldier cannot enter Hell because the Devil is scared of him. Saint Peter refuses that he goes to Heaven because he has stolen a turkey and wine. The Soldier gives him the bag back, but he uses the magic spell which sends the four of them into the bag, thus allowing them to go to Heaven. Disconcerted, Saint Peter asks God for help, and God allows the four characters to stay in Heaven despite their misdeeds. Saint Peter wonders what his actual role is.

Glove-puppet

Young audiences

France

Paris

Printed

Magic object

Hell

Heaven

Reward

Rivalry in love

Punishment

Wedding

Revenge

Comical

Fantasy

Satirical

French

Soldier

Beggar

Saint Peter

Innkeeper

Constable

Devil

Valet

Prince

Army

Double identity

Change of head on sight

Massacre scene

Night scene

Apparition of the Devil

Apparition of a god

Aria

Crac ! dans le sac !

Crack! In the sack!

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.

Marotte

All audiences

Leone Bruno

Italy

Naples

Palermo

Electronic text

Purgatory

Hunger

Original sin

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

Priest

Prostitute

Thug

Soul in Purgatory

Death

Beatrice

Saint Januarius

God (monotheism)

Saint Vincent Ferrer

Saint Anthony the Great

Teresina

Pulcinellino

Baby

Fighting a monster

Inserting poetry

Versified passages

Blow-with-a-stick

Dead talking character

Dance

Childbirth on stage

Nel mezzo del teatrin di nostra vita

In the middle of the puppet booth of our life