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.

Single rod marionettes

Double-faced head

Not specified

Portugal

Borba

Évora

Printed

Genesis

Original sin

Future punishment

Hell

Bible

Adam

Abel

Cain

Angel

Religious

Comical

Farcical

Fantasy

The Ballet of Angels by the Bonecos de Santo Aleixo

Portuguese

God (monotheism)

Choir

Moon

Vicar

Barker

The Interpreter

Demiurge

Snake

Devil

Spinner

Play in verse

Sung scenes

Off-stage voice

Murder on stage

Sarabande

Blow-with-a-stick

Ascent to heaven

Explosion

Animal cry

Pyrotechnics

Aside

Change of head on sight

Comical regional accent

Word warping

Lazzi

Kicking on the ground (sound effect)

Auto da Criação do Mundo

Auto of the Creation of the World

A Priest, whose face looks like those painted by Fra Angelico, gets out of his house, smiling at life. While hearing noise from the modern city and the industrial world, he changes his expression and his voice to better fit the expectations of a churchman. He sees a Soldier and accuses him of having a mistress. The Soldier tells him that his wife is living with the Lawyer. The Lawyer comes and shares his disapproval concerning the Merchant, who openly commits adultery with the Doctor’s wife. The Merchant then exposes the affair between the Doctor and the Actor’s wife, as well as the one between the Actor’s wife and the Doctor’s wife and the Doctor’s daughter’s passion for the Actor. Each of these revelations is followed by the exclamation “It is too much!” from the previous characters, and with a change of expression emphasizing the hypocrisy of their outrage. The Doctor and the Actor enter together, and the Doctor declares that all the women of the village are in love with the Poet. All men rush to their homes to find their wives. The Priest remains alone and asks Mary, his servant, who we can tell is his partner, to set the table to receive the Poet for lunch. He will be accompanied by all of his wives and the children he had with them. The play ends when the children get on stage, through a door opening in the sky and under a rain of rose petals.

String marionette

Craig Edward Gordon

Italy

Marina di Pisa

Hypocrisy

Unfaithfulness

Indignation

Religion

Morality

Satirical

English

Priest

Soldier

Merchant (man)

Actor

Doctor

Poet

Lover (woman)

Off-stage noise

Song

Running gag

Avista

Entrance by a hole in the back cloth

Rain of flowers

It is too much

C'en est trop

A Soldier gives his only three coins to a Beggar whom he crosses path with thrice. The latter reveals himself to be SaintPeter. Saint Peter wanted to test the Soldier’s generosity, so he gives him a magical bag which can make all of his wishes come true. In a tavern, the Soldier learns that the Princess Tutu is held prisoner by the Devil in a haunted castle. Thrown out of the tavern after having stolen a turkey and some wine, the Soldier finds shelter for the night in the castle. He captures the Devil thanks to his bag and hands him over to the King. They kill the Devil together. However, the King had granted his daughter’s hand in marriage to Prince Panpan. The Soldier convinces the King to let him marry his daughter instead, and swears to defeat the army of Prince Panpan. Thanks to his magical bag, the Soldier prevails over the army. But Prince Panpan, the King and Princess Tutu, who has become weary of her new husband, unite so that they can kill the Soldier. The Princess tells them of the secret bag. Together, they hang the bag over the ramparts, but they get carried away by the weight of the Soldier and they all crash on the ground. The three characters knock on Heaven’s door, but they are denied access. The Soldier cannot enter Hell because the Devil is scared of him. Saint Peter refuses that he goes to Heaven because he has stolen a turkey and wine. The Soldier gives him the bag back, but he uses the magic spell which sends the four of them into the bag, thus allowing them to go to Heaven. Disconcerted, Saint Peter asks God for help, and God allows the four characters to stay in Heaven despite their misdeeds. Saint Peter wonders what his actual role is.

Glove-puppet

Young audiences

France

Paris

Magic object

Heaven

Reward

Rivalry in love

Punishment

Wedding

Revenge

French

Beggar

Saint Peter

Innkeeper

Constable

Valet

Prince

Army

Double identity

Massacre scene

Night scene

Apparition of the Devil

Apparition of a god

Aria

Crac ! dans le sac !

Crack! In the sack!

The collection brings together small stories or short heterogeneous dialogues, everyday or absurd scenes on various themes: family, school, work, social conflicts, justice, war, mendicancy, etc. The human turns out to be disposable, just like crumpled paper is.

Auto da Criação do Mundo

It is too much

Crac ! dans le sac !

Histoires post-it

ou On est bien peu de chose quand même !