Guignol’s landlord – Vautour – complains about financial hardship, as his tenants do not pay the rent. He asks Guignol to settle the previous months of arrears, but Guignol ridicules him extensively and then refuses to pay. Gnafron helps Guignol get rid of Vautour. They both fear that Vautour will have Guignol’s furniture seized, and so they move it all before having a drink together.

Glove-puppet

Not specified

France

Lyon

Printed

Rent

Debt

Scatology

Furniture

Comical

Farcical

Le Déménagement de Guignol. Lyon: Elardin, 1876 (couverture).

French

arrangé par Louis Josserand

Guignol

Gnafron

Landlord

Monologue

Fight

Dialect as a social marker

Comic distortion of language

Trap

Misunderstanding

Final song

Le Déménagement de Guignol

Guignol’s Move

In a prologue, the pirate Willie McGowan expresses his love for pillaging ships and their treasures. Yet he is weary of being assaulted by warships since the thieves generally attack in the morning when everyone is asleep. Many men die, and the pirates' only booty is a few bottles of rum. Thus, Willie decides to give up his ship and to return to his hometown to take up a less depressing occupation. Three years go by, and Willie leads a contented life. He works on a boat, the Gleaner, and is well-paid. The ship's owner, Old Henderson, asks him to accompany migrants who want to go to America. Willie refuses; the Gleaner, he believes, will sink after three days at sea. Old Henderson tries to convince him that if the ship sinks, he could return on a sailboat stored onboard. He would be paid a handsome sum as the migrants have already paid their fares. Willie again responds with a no as he does not want to deceive the passengers. Old Henderson accuses him of cowardice and no longer being the pirate he once was. Jessie Henderson, his daughter, encourages Willie to go after the money since she could not possibly marry a poor man. Old Henderson finally decides to make the crossing with his daughter; he dreamt he would find treasure in the old garden near the Point, and he interpreted this as a good omen. Willie digs in the spot Old Henderson described and finds the treasure. The master of the crew, Bosun Hardbite, announces that all have survived the sea journey, except Old Henderson and his daughter.

Toy theatre

Young audiences

Ireland

Strete

Wicklow

Piracy

Swindling

Migrant

Treasure

Renunciation

Shipwreck

Ironic

Humorous

Dramatic

English

Willie McGowan / The Man Hunter of the Gulf

Pirate

Sailor

Emigrant

Daughter

Singer

Narrator

Song

The Treasure of the Garden

Le Trésor du jardin

A Unicorn crosses the stage with a forest in the background, saying “Honni soit qui mal y pense." Three men are looking at it and discussing the best way to catch it. One of them brought a sixty-year-old Virgin woman who wears a veil, as the Unicorn is attracted by purity. The Unicorn feels the presence of the Virgin, draws near her, and puts its head on her lap. The Virgin signals to the men to catch the animal, unveils, and uncovers her true identity - she is Britannia. The Unicorn feels betrayed and dies of sorrow. The Royal Coat of Arms is lowered, and the Unicorn is placed opposite to the roaring Lion. A butcher’s shop appears under the coat of arms, and the butcher can be seen chopping meat. A child rings at the shop, and the butcher’s son's voice can be heard alerting his mother.

String marionette

Craig Edward Gordon

Italy

Marina di Pisa

Purity

Virginity

Hunting

Royals

Monarchy

Patriotism

Coat of arms

Satirical

Fowler

Virgin

Unicorn

Butcher

Child

Talking animal

Allegory

The Rape of the Unicorn

Le Viol de la licorne

Esteban is the owner of a farm. He has a male servant, Silvestre, and a female servant, Oliva, who is also his mistress. Oliva really loves her master and she serves him so well that Esteban is thinking about marrying her. But he is wondering if Oliva really loves him or if she is after his belongings, so he explains to Silvestre the stratagem that he has planned to deploy in order to put her to the test: he will pretend that he has lost all of his possessions, and then fake his own death. Silvestre, in the presence of the supposed body, will have to feign love for Oliva in order to test her faithfulness. Esteban puts his plan into action. Thanks to the help of a fake doctor, Esteban pretends to die. Silvestre tells Oliva how he feels about her as planned, but his feelings are in fact true and he had always concealed them. Oliva faints, Silvestre carries her in his arms and the two of them run away from the house. Esteban sits up on his death bed and, taken aback by the revelation of truth, he actually dies of syncope.

Spain

Madrid

Fainting

Love

Death

Loyalty in love

Wealth

Farm

Corpse

Travelling theatre

False doctor

Tragic

Spanish

Farmer

Servant

Maid

Peddler

Fake death

Plot twist

Death on stage

Curiosa muerte burlada

The Strange Duped Death

The princess escapes to the moon by walking on a ray of moonlight. Her father, King Cyprian XIII, promises a reward for he who can bring her back to earth. Kasperl and Seppl volunteer and leave on a rocket. They find the princess miserable, forced to cook and clean for the Man on the Moon. Thanks to a trap, Kasperl and Seppl succeed in escaping with the princess. The king thanks Kasperl and wants to offer him a gift, but Kasperl is content with a piggybank—he had to break his own to buy the rocket.

Le Déménagement de Guignol

arrangé par Louis Josserand

The Treasure of the Garden

The Rape of the Unicorn

Curiosa muerte burlada

Die Fahrt auf den Mond

Ein Handpuppenspiel für zwei Spieler