When Alexander von Bernus opened his shadow theatre in 1907 in the artistic neighbourhood of Schwabing in Munich, he wished to present a new form of art, which he explicitly connected with the Romantic tradition. This new form of art would be different from the shows of the Chat Noir cabaret in Paris and make better use of the immaterial quality of shadows to venture into the realms of the soul and of dreams. Mysticism pervaded the intellectual and artistic circles of Munich at the beginning of the 20th century, and it had something to do with this project too, since it aimed at “the most metaphysical union of image, poetry and music”.

The sources used by Coppelius (alias Alexander von Bernus) to write St. Anton oder der Heiligenschein are difficult to identify. If the basic outline is similar to that of the versions for puppets played during the 19th century, the absence of the pig, and of the council in Hell that traditionally opens the play significantly sets it apart. And yet, contrary to La Tentation de saint Antoine (The Temptation of Saint Anthony) played in the Théâtre du Chat Noir and which was based on Flaubert’s text, Alexander von Bernus’s text sticks to a more popular style and introduces the character of Hanswurst, impetuous and ill-mannered. The plot also develops around a comical misunderstanding that defeats the final celebration of the hermit’s devotion.

In the light of the artistic ambitions of the Schwabinger Schattenspiele, this rewriting of La Tentation (The Temptation), which removes its intellectual and pictorial sources, may come as a surprise. It could be partly explained by the wish to be set apart from the productions of the Chat Noir and to keep an ambiguous - if not hedonist - moral.

After a terrifying stormy night, Saint Anthony goes out of his cave and into the fresh air to find some peace. Beelzebub orders Hurliburli to take advantage of this hustle and bustle to try and make the pious hermit succumb to one of the seven deadly sins. Meanwhile, Hanswurst, a lost walker, exhausted and starving, seeks refuge in the cave. To his surprise, his complaints are heard and his desires are fulfilled by the devils of gluttony, sloth, and lust. But, as he passionately embraces the devil of lust, who took the appearance of a woman, Hurliburli appears and drags him to hell. Anthony, back in his cave, sees Hanswurst who angrily relates his misadventures and the mistake of which he was a victim. Anthony greets him and thanks God for having protected him from the temptation of the devil by putting a poor stranger in his stead… To reward his faith, an angel appears and crowns the saint with a halo.