Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-04-17

nlzeo Dy the audience, and 50 the NUMBER o
monologues and asides are gleatly reduced
You see at once by the villainous face thai
the Puppet il bent on mischief How
ever insinuating he may try to be, the vii
lain still preserves his fendish scowl, the
heroine, in the very depth of her despair
always bears the same placid smile, the
hero wins his bride and challenges his enc.
my with an unalterable smirk, and the
father curses and is reconciled to his daugh.
ters without any change Of countenance.
This makes the performance indescribably
grotesque. and the more tragic the incidents
the more amusing it becomes Only play
with q strong dramatic unity will bear such
treatment Grillparzer, one of the most
successful German dramatists, once wit.
messed a performance and exclaimed:
"Why we dramatists can learn what &C
tion is from these puppet plays"
The repertory moves with preference at
the realms of German fairy tales like
little Red Riding Hood" ''Bluebeard, . .
"King Of the Forest" "The Proud Hide
ella" 'The Seven Ravens" 'Puss in
Boots" etc.
A Complete Stage In Miniature.
The great technical demands which these
fairy tales with their apparitions, transfor-
nations and magic fires make on the little
theater are worked with marvellous skill.
All that can be seen in theatrical machinery
in visiting the Berlin or Munich opera
houses is found behind the scenes at Papa
Schmid's, only that everything is in minia-
ture from we'll regulated system Of traps
to flying machines worked as faultlessly as
if a famous stage machinist had constructed
them. There are dragons who spit fire
and all sorts of demons with glaring
eyes. The light effects, sunsets,
thunderstorms and snowfalls are
most realistic, like q little rival Of the
Meininger stage. How exquisite the
scenery is painted by the best landscape
painters Munich can boast Of will be seen
for instance in the house of the burgomaster
in one of the casper" plays. 1t is little
odd-shaped house with slanting roof of red
tiles, overgrown with vines and a veranda
ornamented with flower pots. 1t is perfec-
tion in every detail; there are the tin caves,
. holy virgin standing in q niche in the
wall, bird cage hung on the shutters and
linen put out to dry from several windows,
Of which several can be opened; the burgo-
master speaks from one of them to the
In spite of the spectacular effects, the
pieces in which Kaspsr Larya,1 appears are
The favoritea He is q stout, beardltss little
fellow, with red nose, red hair and cum
ming eyes; he is generally dressed in yellow
trousers. q red Jacket, white shirt, with
large lace collar and green pierrot hat.
He is the representative of South German
humor, an exceedingly good natured goblin
Of epicurean views of life, always inclined
10 eat and drink and play all sorts of funny
tricks, but also able to indulge occasionally
in . remarkably deep and surprising philo-
,ophical conversation.
Ono Of the Popular Characters.
He is generally the servant in the play,
yet likes to pass tor his master, gets into all
sorts of difficulties whereby the poor fellow
until at last he is aided by some super
natural power He even appears as DR..
Faustus, the same puppet play which sug-
yested the idea to Goethe of writing the
greatest dramatic poem Of modern times.
But in many plays Kaspn Is the leading
parsonage. He roams all over the earth.
In "Kasper Among the Savages," forced to
be a sailor he is shipwrecked on foreign
shore where he enters the service of a
scientist, but is hindered in the accom-
olishment Of his duties by being taken
prisoner by the savages, who invite the
scientists to partake of d1nner, where
Kasper is to be served as roast meat AL
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Hamlet With Some Variations.
Also "Hamlet" is PLAYED, based on the
nplish tragedy, Here all the psychology
ad poetry are struck out. At the conciu-
on the Queen, Hamlet and OpheEia escape
niniured. Po1oni,1s who has been wounded.
van ,Iain Iimns in an crutches IN bless The
Denmark, and LderteS, having repented OF