The fisherman's daughter Lisi and the young bird-catcher Wastl live by a lake in Germany. They offer hospitality to the painter Wilhelm, who has just returned from Italy. The short play ends with a song to nature and joy.

Not specified

Pocci Franz von

Germany

Munich

Manuscript

Fishing

Bird

Nature

Painting

Picturesque

Countryside

Birdcatcher

Bucolic

Forest

Wood

Happiness

Painter

Music

Italy

Journey

Hospitality

Childhood

Lyrical

German

Allegory

Monologue

Metatheatre

Song

Final song

Am See

By the lake

While fishing in a lake despite the prohibition, Casperl catches a crawfish, which tells him its story: it is actually called Zimbimbimperl and was transformed into a crawfish by her father, the magician Crocodilus, after a violent argument with her mother, the Egyptian fairy Persea. Persea travels the world to find her daughter, when she meets Casperl who informs her of Zimbimbimperl's fate. The gods of Egypt return her daughter to her, but demand that she sacrifices Casperl to them in return. In the meantime, Crocodilus has been captured and sold in a menagerie. But he manages to escape and takes refuge in the lake, surprising the reunion of mother and daughter. He wants to devour them, but Casperl intervenes and knocks him out. Crocodilus is calmed by the blow to the head. He has barely reconciled with his family when the owner of the Löwenmajer menagerie comes to claim him for his circus. Casperl kills him and declares the sacrifice to the gods complete. The play ends with a grand finale and an apotheosis of 'Casperl the Wise'.

String marionette

Young audiences

Printed

Rail transport

Inflation

Waste

Scatology

Egypt

Lost child

Menagerie

Magic

Forgiveness

Freemasonry

Oriental wisdom

Fantasy

Farcical

Parodistic

Satirical

Oder der Verzauberte Krebs

Fairy

Magician

Kasperl

Madame Kasperl

Miller

Tamer

Fish

Talking animal

Brawl

Parody of formal language

Instrumental tune

Address to the public

Chorus

Off-stage voice

Thunderbolt

Metamorphosis

Board

Transforming scenery

Crocodilus und Persea

Crocodilus and Persea

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.

Storm

Love

Foundling

Wedding

Contempt

Faithfulness

Paganism

Christianity

Mermaid

Comical

Dramatic

Génie des eaux

Ondine

Knight

Duke

Valet

Cook

Trump blower

Light effects

Sung scenes

Scene of recognition

Undine, die Wassernixe

Ondine, the water nymph

A policeman must arrest two criminals. Clown proposes to Pantaloon to accompany him fishing and boasts that they will need a large pan to cook all the fish he will catch. He thinks he caught a great prize but reels in only a cast iron pan. While Pantaloon mocks him, he insists that he did it on purpose. Pantaloon learns that Old Buffer is looking for a parrot and tries to sell him a talking parrot. When Old Buffer expresses his wish to eat it, Clown threatens to eat Old Buffer. The latter calls the police officer, who promises to help and hides to catch the scoundrels. Dude, a passerby, wants to know the time. Pantaloon advises him to not address the police officer since he is not himself. He shows him the time on a watch upon which the arrows are turning very rapidly. Harlequin and Columbine dance, and the police officer chases them since dancing is forbidden in the streets. A man hides in a letterbox, which troubles the mailman. This man is none other than Clown. The police officer notices Pantaloon and Clown, but he forgot his club at home; his family uses it to whisk the batter for birthday cakes. He decides to hide and to listen to them. All of the characters enter the scene to capture Pantaloon and Clown, who reveal themselves to be the two criminals being searched for.