In the prologue, Talia (Thalia) and Urania announce an inspiring story. Baldassara, a successful actress admired by Alvaro and Rodrigo, is tormented: as she performs the role of Clorinda in the company of Beatrice, Lisa, and Biscotto in a theatrical adaptation of La Gerusalemme Liberata by Torquato Tasso, she is so disturbed that she misses her cue. Baldassara understands that her torment comes from the fact that, while she plays the role of a young Christian, she has turned a deaf ear to the calls of God. Right in the middle of the performance, she leaves to exile herself in the desert, pursued by Biscotto and Lisa, who attempt to deter her from her goal. Beatrice, however, has only contempt for her rival; the other actors apologize to the public, who seem enthusiastic at the performance of who they call the "Comica del Cielo" (the Actress from the Heavens). During her exile, Baldassara discovers the beauty in solitude, while Lisa and Biscotto see only horror. She refuses their pleas to return to Valenza. The Demon, disguised as a hunter, tempts Alvaro, who has left in search of his lover: the young man finds Baldassara, who implores him to devote his life to God. In despair, he leaves to throw himself from a cliff. Baldassara tries to stop him, but a boulder in the form of a cross intervenes. Baldassara kneels before the power of the Divine. Biscotto, in hermit's robes, decides to stay at her side despite objections from Lisa. During her slumber, the Demon sends Baldassara temptations: upon her wake, she repels him with a Christian symbol, which breaks the spell. Biscotto, however, regardless of Lisa's warnings, tastes a cake from the Demon: the bitterness in his mouth remains, but he succeeds in chasing the Demon away. Act II ends with a ballet. Beatrice arrives in the desert after the death of Tafer, who she followed across the oceans and who was defeated by Rodrigo. In a nocturnal scene, Baldassara and Biscotto discover Beatrice and successfully dissuade her from killing herself. Rodrigo, arriving mid-reunion, wants to kill Beatrice to avenge her infidelity. Baldassara interjects and commands him to turn toward God. After these multiple conversions Penitenza (Penitence) appears to Baldassara to bring her her rewards; she confronts the Demon and triumphs over him. Since Alvaro hopes to regain his good graces with the help of Lisa, he finds Baldassara dead, in the midst of a choir of angels and happy souls.

"On foot and by rod" puppet

Marionette with counterweight

Not specified

Spain

Madrid

Italy

Rome

Printed

Conversion

Desert

Hermit

Actress

Miracle

Edifying

Heroic

Religious

Epic

Italian

La Conversione di Santa Baldassarra Comica Spagnuola; La Comica celeste

ovvero La Baldassara

Thalie

Muse

Uranie

Lover (man)

King

Counselor

Servant

Maid

Devil

Soldier

Spectator

Choir

Angel

Play in verse

Chorus

Interlude

Prologue

Theatre within the theatre

Crowd

Sleeping character

Soliloquy

Night scene

Revelation

Failed suicide

Apparition of the Devil

Pact with the devil

Allegory

Death on stage

Flying machine

Apotheosis

Ascent to heaven

Apparition of an angel

La Comica del Cielo

The Actress from the Heavens

The play begins at the Court of Pella, with a choir of grooms seeing Ipomene, King Atrace’s sister, waiting for the return of her lover Cloridoro. When Cloridoro comes back, the couple sings their mutual love. In the woods, Atamira, daughter of the Corinthian King, is miserable as she waits for the return of her husband Acrimante. Witnessing the sinking of a ship, she saves two unlucky men, who turn out to be Acrimante and his servant Bibi. After recognising her, Acrimante rejects Atamira’s love and instead chooses to follow young shepherdesses. Atamira grieves, then falls asleep: Atrace and Cloridoro, gone hunting, find her in this state. Atrace immediately falls in love with Atamira and promises to help her. Acrimante arrives at Court and falls in love with Ipomene, while Bibi wooes the nurse Delfa. When he comes back from hunting, Atrace learns about Acrimante’s arrival and tasks Cloridoro with looking after their host, to whom he is a loyal friend. While Cloridoro reunites with Ipomene, Acrimante asks Bibi to find a cure to his love for the Infanta. During a farcical duo involving two lovers, Bibi learns from Delfa that Ipomene loves Cloridoro. Bibi asks the nurse to take the young woman to Acrimante’s bedroom, where she is told that she will meet with her lover. During another meeting between Acrimante and Atamira, Acrimante mistreats his wife, who becomes miserable again. The act concludes with a dance of Squires or Moors around the King, who is deeply in love with Atamira.
When he tries to kiss Delfa from his balcony, Bibi falls. Atrace, who sees him flee on his mule dressed in his master’s clothes, believes that Acrimante has betrayed him; he imagines that he is the lover of his sister or of the woman he loves. He decides to avenge himself and has him called. Summoned by the King when he was with Ipomene, Acrimante must leave her. Atrace and Cloridoro are jealous of him—one about Atamira, and the other about Ipomene. The King puts Acrimante in prison, which is a source of distress for Atamira: her husband rejects her love once again. Cloridoro believes that Ipomene has betrayed him and reproaches her for things she does not understand. Atrace decides to sentence Acrimante to death, and Atamira offers to carry out his order. She gives him a vial of fake poison, and he falls apart after asking his wife for forgiveness. Atamira has the body carried to her room. Cloridoro is upset over Ipomene’s betrayal, and Delfa tells him the truth: the two lovers reconcile and agree to meet at night, in the garden. Atrace, who rejoices over Acrimante’s death, proposes to Atamira; she refuses, without saying that she is already married. After dark, Bibi falls asleep while he is guarding his master’s body. Delfa, who came to meet him, caresses him and pretends to be Acrimante’s spirit. Bibi is frightened for a moment. Then, embarrassed to talk about love next to the body, he takes Delfa outside the room. The demon arrives and claims Acrimante’s soul, in a dreaming scene taking place in Proserpina’s kingdom. The monsters and spirits dance during an interlude, while the Queen of the Underworld declares her love to Acrimante. Atamira is waiting for her husband to wake up. When he arises from his lethargic state (greatly scaring Bibi), she declares her love to him. Accusing his wife of attempting to kill him, Acrimante dismisses her again. Bibi informs him of the rendez-vous planned between Ipomene and Cloridoro: Acrimante shows up instead of his friend, in a night scene secretly witnessed by Atrace. When she realises her mistake, Ipomene screams for help; Tidemo, a counsel, rushes to her rescue. Acrimante kills him and flees. Atrace is set on finding the culprit and sentencing him to death. A Corinthian ambassador informs the King that they will be at war, unless he marries Atamira: the King formally proposes to the young Princess, but she refuses to marry him; when he tells her that he will marry her whether she wants it or not, so as to avoid the war, she decides to kill herself. On the run, Acrimante arrives at the garden in Tidemo’s palace, where he finds a statue of his owner. He begins to speak with the statue, which he eventually invites to dinner. The statue tilts its head forward, then goes have dinner with its host. One table and six statues appointed by Pluto appear: Tidemo sits down at the table, as the statues dance and praise Pluto in a song. The earth opens, Acrimante sinks towards the abyss while Tidemo flies off in the sky. Once in the abyss of the Cocytus, Acrimante asks for forgiveness; Caronte (Charon) takes him to the Underworld. At court, Bibi tells Atamira about her husband’s death. She can now agree to marry Atrace. The play ends with three marriages.

Acciaiuoli Filippo (aka Gran Burattinajo)

Apolloni Giovanni Filippo

Ronciglione

Jealousy

Seduction

Shipwreck

Statue coming to life

Unfaithfulness

Lyrical

Melodramatic

Dramatic

Burlesque

Fantasy

L'Empio punito (libretto, title page)

Sister

Cousin

Prince

Princess

Nurse

Ambassador

Sheperherdess

Proserpina

Captain

Charon

Sailor

Groom

Music

Avista

Speechless character

Love rivalry

Love story

Thwarted love

Shipwreck scene

Scene of recognition

Hunting scene

Character leaning against the window

Fall of a character

Comical fall of a character

Seduction scene

Monologue

Confinement

Fake death

Dreamt scene

Dream

Nightmare

Apparition of a god

Apparition of a monster

Apparition of demons

Demons dance

Scene in the dark

Sword thrust

Sword fight

Duel scene

Gunshot

Messenger

Forced marriage

Final wedding

L'Empio punito

The Non-believer punished

Leandro (Leander) meets Hero while she is working in Venere’s (Venus’s) temple: it is love at first glance for the two of them, and their love story develops according to chivalric standards. The romantic dialogue finds an echo in the more prosaic duo between Lesbia and Millo, the two servants. When Hero, faithfully devoted to the goddess, refuses herself to Leandro, he grabs her coat and rips it. She begs him to spare her honour and declares her love before she decides, driven by passion, to die in the breast of her new divinity. Arbace and his suite of singing hunters cross the stage. Lucilla, the fickle lover of Tigrane, placed by the latter in the care of Leandro, tries to seduce Leandro and fails. The first act ends on a burlesque note, with Millo followed by a choir of seamen singing and smoking. Arbace, who fell in love with Lucilla, is helped by Giocasta (Jocasta): she organises a (rigged) love game, for Tigrane and his lover. The game consists in proving one’s faithfulness by blindly finding a sign of love. While her lover is blindfolded, Lucilla can enjoy Arbace’s kisses. Then she pretends to have won the game and dismisses her lover; Giocasta is amused by women’s cunning. In the meantime, Hero, dressed as a gypsy, puts Leandro’s faithfulness to the test. Seeing Millo, she predicts that he will have a blissful future if he presents her at Court: introduced as a great magician to Lucilla, she is entrusted with the writing of a lover letter intended for Leandro. Arbace understands that his new lover has betrayed him, and Tigrane is sorrowful. Lucilla dances with her suite at the very end of the act. While Leandro is desperately looking for Hero, the latter, disguised as a gypsy, gives him Lucilla’s letter. She is convinced of his good faith because he rips the letter before even reading it. Leandro decides to join his beloved at night by crossing the water; Hero plans on waiting for him on the neighbouring beach. Unfortunately, Lucilla overhears the conversation between the lovers and asks Arbace to avenge her and to kill Hero. At night, Leandro is about to drown. On her cloud, Venere summons the choir of Nereidi (Nereids) and asks them to save him and take him up in the sky. Arbace wants to hit Hero, who is anxiously waiting for her lover; he kills Lucilla while Hero transforms into Leandro’s plant (oleander). While Lucilla is dying, paying the price of her wrongdoing, the lovers reunite in Elysium, by Venere’s side.

Badovero Camillo

Venice

Love

Gipsy woman

Deception

Drowning

Venus (Goddess)

Ovide

Tragic

Farcical

Gli amori fatali

Lord

Favourite

Leandre

Priestess

Virgin

Hero (priestess)

Chaperon

Lover (woman)

Secretary

Venus

Guard

Hunter

Bridesmaid

Nereids

Undressed character on stage

Erotic scene

Dancing entertainment

Smoke

Wandering

Disguised character (false identity)

Investigation

Metamorphosis

Deus ex machina

Clouds

Il Leandro

Leander

Venus asks her son Cupid to make Adonis fall in love with her. Punch is furious and curses the gods, love and poetry. Cupid hears him. He strikes him with an arrow and condemns him to love Proserpina. When she appears, Punch sings his love to her. She dies and Punch is driven to despair. Venus and Adonis are in love. Venus asks Adonis not to go hunting because it would be too dangerous. Adonis ignores her plea and goes anyway. He is wounded and dies. Venus wants to catch his soul and join him. She is mourning his death with Pallas. Jupiter visits Proserpina in the Underworld to convince her to love Punch, who has been changed into Mars by Jupiter. The two lovers kiss and go back to the surface. All the characters ascend.
In her epilogue, Iris declares that love has prevailed.

Rod and string marionette

Great Britain

London

Death

Hunting

Latin Mythology

Comical

Parodistic

Martin Powell, Venus and Adonis, 1713. (Title page).

English

Adonis

Eros

Jupiter (Jove)

Punch

Mars

Athena

Iris

Satyre

Nymph

Sung play

Set that comes to life

Magic spell

Venus and Adonis; or, the Triumphs of Love.

The show begins with a ballet by the Angels, who kneel before God. Then Mestre-Salas and Padre Chancas talk in a comic way. In the Garden of Eden, God creates the light, the Sun and the Moon, that all quarrel to determine which one of them is the most important. God creates Adam and Eve, then plants and animals. He asks the couple not to touch the tree of the knowledge of good and evil under any circumstances. The snake tempts Eve, who bites into the apple of the tree, then has Adam taste it too. God discovers their violation and throws Adam, Eve and the Snake out of paradise. On earth, Adam and Eve live in poverty – Adam works the land and Eve spins wool. Adam is angry and accuses Eve of having caused their misery and he hits her while she insults him. Adam asks for God’s forgiveness. Adam and Eve’s sons, Abel and Cain, make offerings to God. Cain envies God’s preference for his brother and makes fun of Abel (who wets himself out of fear) before killing him. Abel’s corpse is carried into Heaven by the Angels. Eve loses her temper with Cain, who insults her, shows no remorse and defies God. The latter curses Cain by making him all black and damning him. Even in Hell, Cain continues to brag, and he makes fun of demons. He cheats while playing cards again the Devil. The show ends with a gag: a voice in the wings relates that a banger popped in the room and tore a hole in the pants of a member of the audience.

La Comica del Cielo

ovvero La Baldassara

L'Empio punito

Il Leandro

Venus and Adonis; or, the Triumphs of Love.

Auto da Criação do Mundo

Avventure di Ruggero dell'Aquila bianca