The only spirit which the magician Negrocephalus is able to invoke on that day is the rooster spirit of Gockelhahn. The spirit informs him that his wife, the Gackerackack chick, is hatching a golden egg, which he promises to bring to Negrocephalus. The tired magician goes to his cabinet and asks his famulus Putzlmayer to keep watch. However, Putzlmayer prefers having fun by doing magic, thanks to Negrocephalus’s spellbook. He too invokes Gockelhahn, who comes back with the promised egg. Putzlmayer gets scared after hearing a voice coming from the egg and informs Negrocephalus before fleeing. Whoever is inside the egg keeps asking to be let out, and Negrocephalus starts worrying too. He swears to the being inside the egg that he will not eat it before daring to break the shell with his magic wand. After a series of thunderclaps and lightning, Kasperl comes out of the egg.

String marionette

Young audiences

Pocci Franz von

Germany

Munich

Manuscript

Birth

Nativity

Myth

Spirits

Wine

Donkey

Rooster

Magic

Sorcery

Learning

Faust

Laziness

Nonchalance

Cheekiness

Fantasy

Parodistic

German

Magician

Famulus

Cock, cockerel

Verschiedene Erscheinungen welche nicht zum Vorschein kommen

Apparition

Kasperl

Prologue

Spectacular turn of events

Magic act

Comical regional accent

Unveiling

Talking animal

Off-stage voice

Object coming to life

Address to the public

Versified passages

Pyrotechnics

Das goldene Ei

The Golden Egg

Pulcinella calls his fiancée Teresina. He has already spoken to her father and brother and now wants to organise the wedding. But Teresina tells him that there is one last problem to be solved. Before falling in love with Pulcinella, Teresina was engaged to Vincenzo Carnevale, who does not know that their affair is now over. Pulcinella agrees to talk to him. At first, Pulcinella and Carnevale argue and fight for Teresina's love; then Pulcinella explains to Carnevale that Teresina no longer wants to marry him. Carnevale pretends to accept this decision, but decides to scupper Pulcinella's marriage. He disguises himself as a woman and seduces Pulcinella. Carnevale, dressed as a woman, is very handsome and also arouses the love of a guappo, Gennarino Cataclisma. When he discovers that Carnevale is a man, Gennarino kills him, only to be killed by Pulcinella. Pulcinella, Teresina and the other puppets mourn Carnevale, singing the funeral songs (nénies) dedicated to him in Naples. 
Once in hell, Carnevale reunites with Gennarino and they crown their love story. But first Carnevale asks the devil Farfariello to stop Pulcinella and Teresina's wedding. Farfariello enlists the help of his friend the cock, who sends his fiancée, the hen Cicerenella, to seduce Pulcinella. Pulcinella kills Cicerenella and turns her into a roast chicken. The rooster asks the devil to avenge him. Farfariello casts a spell: every time Pulcinella eats a piece of the chicken, his stomach hurts. A doctor comes to help him and, having identified Pulcinella's ailment, calls in a midwife. Pulcinella gives birth to a large egg. He was about to make an omelette out of it when a little Pulcinella came out of the egg, followed by four other Pulcinellini. Teresina is delighted that Pulcinella has already had five children on his own, sparing her a little pain, and she is still determined to marry him. The two dance a final tarantella.

Das goldene Ei

Storia di Carnevale

Il parto di Pulcinella