The Baronne (Baroness) is on her balcony, waiting for the chimney sweeps. When they arrive, they give her a price which she rejects. The Baron also refuses to have the chimneys swept. But the Baronne insists, and the chimney sweeps begin to work and sing a song which the Baronne deems disrespectful. Furious, she grabs a chamber pot; she ties it to a brass wire, which also goes through the hat of one of the chimney sweeps, and goes back to the balcony. When the chimney sweeps leave the house and begin to sing again, the wire is pulled: the chamber pot falls on the head of one of the chimney sweeps, where his hat was.

Shadow theatre

Young audiences

France

Versailles

Printed

House

Chimney sweep

Cheekiness

Farce

Chamber pot

Comical

Farcical

La fermière coquette et Madame la Baronne. Shadow figures to cut out. Printed by Dembour et Gangel, Metz, s.d.

French

Baroness

Baron

Chimney sweeper

Situation comedy

Song

Booby trap

Madame la Baronne

Madam the Baroness

Simple Simon pays a visit to his friend, Simple Susan, whom he thinks is a bit lazy. Simple Susan states that she hates men and that women can do anything better than them. She catcalls four boys, who bark as an answer, and asks them to help her build a house. First, she goes to choose work clothes. Simple Simon calls for her, but she is too busy and refuses his help. When she comes back in work clothes, the four boys bring the house that they have already built - a doll house. She asks them to send a picture of the house to the Daily Mail and to look for a buyer. While she complains about Simple Simon’s selfishness, he reappears, accompanied by a neighbour who thanks him for everything he is willing to do for her: build a carriage, a house, and go for a walk with her. Furious, Simple Susan asks the neighbour what she is going to do to repay Simple Simon. Her answer, “I can look pretty” makes Simple Susan break into pieces.

String marionette

Not specified

Craig Edward Gordon

Italy

Marina di Pisa

Feminism

Labour

Women's condition

Jealousy

Obedience

Seduction

Satirical

English

Simple Simon

Monologue

Address to the public

Character represented in animal form

Splitting of the body

Simple Susan

Simple Susanne

The Devil Alfredo is in love with Colombine and wants to marry her, but he has cold hands. Arlequin is supposed to help him solve his problem. Before entering the puppet booth, the puppeteer informs the audience that, while tidying up his puppets, he found among them the puppet of a little rabbit, an abandoned orphan. So as not to leave it alone, he takes it with him on tour, placing it in a basket at the entrance to the puppet theatre, which is the devil's house. When the curtain opens, Colombina discovers the foundling: how will she hide it and protect it from the Devil? Meanwhile, the devil decides that to get rid of his cold hands, he must buy a pair of rabbit fur gloves.... Despite his attempts to harm Ginetto, the devil is ultimately defeated and transformed into an onion.