Nagerl und Handschuh
oder Die Schicksale der Familie Maxenpfutsch
Nagerl and the Glove,
or the Fate of the Maxenpfutsch Family

Farce Parody in 3 Acts
By Johann Nestroy
Premiere: Vienna, 23 March 1832

Characters
Rampsamperl, the heir to innumerable magic kingdoms
Semmelschmarn, a sorcerer, and Rampsamperl’s tutor.
Kappenstiefel, Rampsamperl’s riding servant.
Poverinus Maxenpfutsch, Owner of Schuldenfeld (the name means ‘debt field’ in German), an industrialist who has fallen on hard times.
Hyacinthe,
Bella, his daughters, spinsters
Rosa, their badly treated sister
Wurler, Rampsamperl’s caretaker and advisor on mischief
Grobianetto, a young genius
Ladies and gentlemen, huntsmen, servants, pages etc.

The action takes place partly in Maxenpfutsch’s apartment, and partly in Rampamperl’s palace in the age of magic.

The plot is a scurrilous version of the Cinderella story, in which Semmelscharm plays the role of the fairy godmother, and the prince doesn’t want to marry (until he meets Rosa, the Cinderella figure) because he likes having lots of love affairs.

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