<p>The rich Niflanguille goes to buy a bag of coal. He comes across the hungry Pierrot, who asks for his help in vain. The coalman cheats Niflanguille out of the weight of the bag. Pierrot hides in the bag and beats up the coalman, Niflanguille and the servant. Back home, Niflanguille looks for a sword to pierce the recalcitrant bag, but Pierrot gets it out in time and forces the servant to take his place. While Niflanguille pierces the bag and his servant with it, Pierrot runs away with a bag of money. A Gendarme wants to hang Niflanguille for murder, Pierrot for theft and the coalman for swindling. Pierrot kills the Gendarme and puts him in the sack, which he throws away, while Niflanguille flees through the window. Pierrot kills the coalman to avoid sharing the money, then orders wine which he pays for by beating the innkeeper with a stick. The Commissaire arrives with Niflanguille; he hangs Pierrot, but confiscates the money to punish the bad rich man.</p>

Glove-puppet

All audiences

France

Paris

Duranty Louis Émile Edmond

Printed

Charcoal

Hunger

Poverty

Swindling

Trade

Deception

Contempt

Punishment

Money

Bad rich

Farcical

Didactic

French

Pierrot

Coal merchant

Domestic servant

Constable

Police Superintendant

Hidden character

Running gag

Blow-with-a-stick

Hanging scene

Le Sac de charbon

The Bag of Coal

<p>The knight Huldbrand gets lost on a stormy night by a lake and finds refuge with fishermen. He falls in love with the foundling Undine. The girl is in fact a mermaid, cursed by her people to dissolve into a wave if she is rejected by men, and to join them underwater if her true identity becomes known. Huldbrand marries Undine, but offends Berthalda, the adopted daughter of Prince Heinrich. When Heinrich visits Huldbrand, the fishermen recognise Berthalda for the child they had lost, but Berthalda rejects them with contempt. Heinrich banishes her from his presence. In despair, advised by the water genie Kühleborn, Berthalda publicly reveals Undine's identity and Heinrich curses her and Huldbrand. Huldbrand refuses, however, to abandon his wife and she takes him with her to live among her people under the waters, in a crystal palace.</p>

String marionette

Young audiences

Pocci Franz von

Germany

Munich

Storm

Fishing

Hospitality

Love

Foundling

Wedding

Faithfulness

Paganism

Christianity

Mermaid

Fantasy

Comical

Parodistic

Dramatic

German

Génie des eaux

Ondine

Knight

Kasperl

Duke

Valet

Cook

Trump blower

Light effects

Chorus

Parody of formal language

Song

Sung scenes

Transforming scenery

Scene of recognition

Brawl

Address to the public

Board

Undine, die Wassernixe

Ondine, the water nymph