Pierrot has just arrived in the Underworld after being hanged. Pluton (Pluto) tasks him with judging newcomers. Pythagore (Pythagoras), a Poète (Poet), a Financier, a Coquette, an Actrice d’Opéra (Opera Actress) and a Médecin (Doctor) go before him. Each is put in an unexpected group (the comedians for Pythagore, the false witnesses for the Poète, the coach drivers for the financier, etc.).

Rod and string marionette

Not specified

France

Paris

Printed summary

Hell

Judge

Judgment

Rivalry of theatres

Life of the theatres

Swindling

Medicine

Comical

Satirical

Manuscrit of Pierrot arbitre (BnF, Ms Fr 9313).

French

Pierrot

Pluto

Pythagoras

Poet

Financier

Coquette

Actress

Physician

Play with drawers

Final song

Surprise effect

Aria

Pierrot arbitre

Pierrot arbitrator

The puppeteer apologises to the audience because he is not ready to perform Macbeth: instead, he will perform an unpublished comedy by Goldoni, The Jealous Emigrant (which is, in fact, a fake written on purpose by Brunello). But one of his glove puppets, Arlequin, disagrees and organises a rebellion, convincing the other puppets to perform Macbeth. The tragedy begins, but Arlequin, who has dared to step out of his role, must die like Macbeth. The same applies to his antagonist King Duncan, who - as we discover at the end - is no other than the puppeteer himself.

Glove-puppet

Bare hand

Actor and puppet

Adults

Brunello Gigio

Molnár Gyula (aka Giulio Molnár)

Italy

Mogliano Veneto

Printed

Rebellion

Self-consciousness of puppets

Rewriting

Adaptation

Fake unpublished

Shakespeare

Tragic

Ironic

Italian

Rodolfo

Colombina

Brighella

Lady Macbeth

Arlecchino

Macbeth

Pantaloon

Macduff

Balanzone

Generico

Witch

Messenger

Guardian

Sicaire

Monkey

Comical regional accent

Theatre within the theatre

Double characters

Address to the public

Rehearsal (play within a play)

Apparition of the puppeteer

Captatio benevolentiae

Tragic irony

Tragic conflict

Parody of formal language

Avista

Macbeth all'improvviso

Improvised Macbeth

The protagonist, Franz, is a young Viennese scientist who, during a hypnosis session conducted by Mesmer, learns that his cousin Angèlica, with whom he is in love, is in great danger. He decides to go to her rescue and, after many adventures, arrives in Budapest to find that she has just died. Convinced that she has been hypnotised by the alchemist Adam Le Fay, he keeps her body in ice, brings her back to his laboratory and tries various experiments to resurrect her. He fails and is accused of her murder by Napoleonic troops who have just entered Vienna. Sentenced to death, he is saved at the last moment by Le Fay who explains to him that if one of them dies, the other also perishes. They duel, Franz throws himself on Le Fay's sword, and both die at the same time. It is clear that they are two sides of the same personality, symbolising the conflict between rationalism and superstition.

Shadow theatre

Automaton

Sirera Rodolf

Spain

Valencia

Rationalism

Science

Religion

Superstition

Adventure

Alchemy

Symbolism

Hypnotism

Spiritisme

Death

Double

Divination

Supernatural

Love

Dramatic

Fantastic

Melodramatic

Philosophical tale

Catalan

Obra per a titelles i actors

Savant

Alchemist

Old man

Doctor

Franz-Anton Mesmer

Homes I Dones Espectadors de la sessió d'hipnotisme

Coachman

Horserider

Lady

Innkeeper

Maid

Hangman

Corpse snatcher

Prison guard

Priest

Voisine

Funfair Traveller

Bookseller

Servant

Valet

Carpenter

Soldier

Executioner

Officer

Narrator

Magic act

Throws

Projected shadows

Hypnosis session

Masked characters

Sword fight

Analepsis (Flash-back)

Prolepsis (Flash-forward)

Imbroglio

La mirada de l'alquimista

The alchemist's gaze

A theoretician is giving a lecture on philosophical and artistic concepts inherent to objects and mentioning ancient philosophers and Bauhaus artists, among other people. However, he is constantly interrupted by his assistant sharing information with him, by technical problems or elements that seem out of control: microphones moving in all directions, the light being turned off, objects falling, … In a second part, the conference goes over different works of the company and reveals the creative processes behind the shows and the common thread bringing them together. At the end, the theoretician tries to resume his lecture without success; the technician’s body mysteriously appears on the floor and a phantasmagorical atmosphere spreads. Curtains are brought down several times while the action of the play continues.

Object theatre

All audiences

Portugal

Porto

Storyboard

Language comedy

Failure

Impossibility to communicate

Animated object

Memory

Phantom

Igor Gandra, A revolta dos objetos. Uma conferência animada (Teatro de Ferro, 2021)