Cassandre wants to marry his daughter Colombine to the baker Pierrot, but she prefers Arlequin, his cousin, a wigmaker and the inventor of an anti-baldness cream. Cassandre is about to eat an egg from the bird Rock, but the bird steals his wig. He promises to give his daughter’s hand to anyone who will be able to bring the wig back to him. With the help of his godmother the Fée Carabosse (Wicked Fairy), Pierrot travels in the air, accompanied by Arlequin, who grabbed his leg. They arrive on an island where a crocodile almost eats Pierrot, and they embark on a small boat that breaks in half after an argument between them. On the Île des Bêtes (Island of the Beasts), the Lion is upset because it is losing its mane. Arlequin offers it the cream, but first, he tries it on Pierrot. The Lion is enthusiastic and decides to name it the Pommade du Lion (Cream of the Lion). Cassandre arrives, and when he witnesses Arlequin’s success, he gives him Colombine’s hand in marriage.

Rod and string marionette

Young audiences

Séraphin Pauline

France

Paris

Printed

Baldness

Fairy

Invention

Island

Travel in the air

Boat trip

Broom

Reward

Argument

Forced marriage

Animal

Comical

Fantasy

French

Cassandre

Arlecchino

Pierrot

Notary

Colombine

Wicked Fairy

Lion

Monkey

Parrot

Magpie

Bird Roc

Love rivalry

Fight with an animal

Apparition

Talking animal

La Perruque de Cassandre

Cassandre's wig

After a prologue in which Casper announces, among other things, that he is going to cut off the ears of children who are not well-behaved, the performance begins. Casper announces that, out of boredom, he wants to become a soldier. He shows his insubordination towards the non-commissioned officer who undertakes to train him by beating him with sticks. The non-commissioned officer sends him to the devil, who arrives: Casper kills him. He returns to his wife, announcing that he will be a general. She hits him with a broom, takes his stick back and they fight.

Glove-puppet

Germany

Sonneberg

Soldier

Army

Military

Silliness

Insubordination

Violence

Spousal abuse

General

Stick

Wickedness

Household

Couple

Farcical

Satirical

Ironic

German

Kasperl

Madame Kasperl

Non-commissioned officer

Devil

Prologue

Word for another

Stichomythia

Blow-with-a-stick

Apparition of the Devil

Domestic scene

Comic equivocation

Brawl

Casper will Soldat werden

Casper wants to become a soldier

Casper goes to the magic factory to learn magic tricks. The magician shows him some, but Casper is so crude that the magician soon doesn't know what to say, whereupon Casper calls him a donkey. They fight, one with his stick and the other with his broom. Casper defeats the magician. A policeman comes to arrest him, but Casper knocks him out and hangs him on the gallows. His wife blames him, they argue and fight.

Magic

Triviality

Vulgarity

Justice

Police

Gallows

Assassination

Rebellion

Magician

Policeman

Versified passages

Hanging scene

Murder on stage

Casper will Zauberer werden

Casper wants to become a magician

Séraphin wants to marry his daughter Colombine to Pierrot, but she prefers Arlequin, a wigmaker and the inventor of an anti-baldness cream. Séraphin is about to eat an egg from the bird Rock, but the bird steals his wig. He promises to give his daughter’s hand to anyone who will be able to bring the wig back to him. With the help of his godmother the Fée Carabosse (Wicked Fairy), Pierrot travels in the air, accompanied by Arlequin, who grabbed his leg. They arrive on an island where a crocodile almost eats Pierrot, and they embark on a small boat that breaks in half after an argument between them. On the Île des Bêtes (Island of the Beasts), the Lion is upset because it is losing its mane. Arlequin offers it the cream, but first, he tries it on Pierrot. The Lion is enthusiastic and decides to name it the Pommade du Lion (Cream of the Lion). Séraphin arrives, and when he witnesses Arlequin’s success, he gives him Colombine’s hand in marriage.

String marionette

All audiences

Choisy Laure

Switzerland

Geneva

Typed or electronic text with handwritten annotations

Marcelle Moynier, the director of the Théâtre des marionnettes de Genève, with the puppets of La Perruque de l'oncle Séraphin.