The Opéra (Opera) is complaining to Ennui, which scares the audience away. The Foire (Fair) comes to ask it for a play, and meets Endymion, who asks him to parody him. Polichinelle drives Endymion and Ennui away.

Rod and string marionette

Not specified

Carolet Denis

France

Paris

Printed

Rivalry of theatres

Opera

Boredom

Failure

Comical

Satirical

Le Palais de l'Ennuy, Soleinne collection, BnF

French

Fair

Polichinelle

Allegory

Aria

Le Palais de l'Ennui ou le Triomphe de Polichinelle

The Palace of Ennui or Polichinelle's Triumph

Bored, Polichinelle wants to have fun. Pierrot suggests for him to open a theatre, but Polichinelle is penniless. Against the promise of a nice meal, Pierrot takes care of finding the needed money. He makes the Commissaire (Superintendent) and the Gendarme (Constable) believe that Cassandre’s bag of écus is the one that was stolen from him. His trick works, and Pierrot brings the money to Polichinelle who thanks him by beating him with his stick. In his troupe, Polichinelle hires everyone he encounters: they all have a specific talent. This is how Polichinelle’s theatre unveils before our eyes. Being a good director, he calls for the kindness of the audience.

Glove-puppet

All audiences

Desnoyers Fernand

Theatre

Actor

Money

Alphonse Legros, engraving for Fernand Desnoyers' Le Théâtre de Polichinelle, 1861

Prologue en vers pour l'ouverture du Théâtre de marionnettes dans le jardin des Tuileries

Pierrot

Cassandre

Police Superintendant

Constable

Mother Gigogne

Pastry chef

Apothecary

Magician

Death

Arlecchino

Colombine

Devil

Fairy

Blow-with-a-stick

Address to the public

Captatio benevolentiae

Le Théâtre de Polichinelle

Polichinelle's Theatre

Madame Benoiton calls the doctor Prudhomme, as she says that she is unwell. However, she refuses to specify where she is hurting, only declaring that she is suffering. Facing this lack of information, the doctor prescribes her a course of treatment in either Vichy or the Pyrenees. Madame Benoiton refuses, saying that there, “we are bored to death”. Prudhomme then suggests sea bathing, but she also refuses because it would impose three toiletry changes and dance parties every day. Puzzled, the doctor finally diagnoses her with something: he advises her to find a “toy”. She admits that she feels a void in her heart. He believes that she is in love with him and starts wooing her. They discover that Madame Benoiton enjoys poetry. Prudhomme recites a madrigal that he used a lot when he was younger; even after this, Madame Benoiton is not satisfied. Prudhomme offers to hypnotise her. When she falls asleep, he questions her and discovers that her heart suffers… because of him. The doctor is the cause of her troubles. Moved, he kneels before her and declares his love. To his surprise, Madame Benoiton bursts into laughter. He realises that she was not asleep but that she followed his first advice: to find a “toy”.

Lemercier de Neuville Louis

Woman

Doctor

Poetry

Love

Magnetism

Joke

Lemercier de Neuville, illustration for Madame Benoiton est indisposée, 1868.

Lady

Physician

Monsieur Prudhomme

Aside

Sung scenes

Music

Inserting poetry

Situation comedy

Sleeping character

Madame Benoiton est indisposée

Madame Benoiton is unwell

The Earth being in a near-apocalyptic state after several wars, the survivors seek universal reconciliation and want to create a world in which everyone will be happy, albeit identical and average. Pierrot arrives; the song he is singing about the Moon stirs up a desire for military conquest. When they land on the Moon, the Terriens (Earthlings) are so well received that they do not dare speak of their plan of conquering the Moon; instead, they forsake war once and for all. Mutual visits are planned: the Lunariens (a made-up word for “residents of the Moon”) will come to the next Chicago Fair.

Shadow theatre

Utrillo Miquel

États-Unis

Chicago

Printed summary

Science fiction

Peace

Happiness

Monotony

Uniformity

Journey

Party

Procession

Visit

Universal Exposition

Social harmony

Moon

Conquest of space

Invention

Programme of the Théâtre des ombres parisiennes, Columbian World's Fair, Chicago, 1893.

Inhabitants on the moon

Opposite worlds

Plot twist

Song

La Conquête de la lune

The Conquest of the Moon

During the prologue, a traffic policeman expresses his boredom to the children in the audience. Kasper arrives and, at the request of the policeman, decides to tell a story, the one depicted in the play. The robot dwarf CR 93, known as Blinky, came from the Milky Way and wanted to take part in a rally on the planet Mars, but a computer error caused him to land in Kasper's town. His on-board computer has to be repaired quickly as his battery is almost empty. Carelessly crossing the street, Blinky is saved by Gretl and the Policeman. While Kasper, Gretl and the Policeman teach Blinky how to cross the street safely, the brigand Atze tries to steal the battery to sell it at the flea market, but Kasper and his friends get Atze arrested, fix the computer and even allow the robot nicknamed "Blinki" to exchange a few last words with an emergency call station the Martian has fallen in love with, before the latter leaves.

Le Palais de l'Ennui ou le Triomphe de Polichinelle

Le Théâtre de Polichinelle

Prologue en vers pour l'ouverture du Théâtre de marionnettes dans le jardin des Tuileries

Madame Benoiton est indisposée

La Conquête de la lune

Besuch aus dem Weltraum

Ein Kasperlespiel nicht nur zur Verkehrserziehung