Puck, 1877-04 · page 5 of 16
Puck — April 1877 — page 5: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page presents a theatrical script parody titled "The Princess Pennyroyal: A Novel Play of Very Temporary Human Interest." It's a comedic play-within-the-magazine satirizing contemporary society and relationships. The plot involves King Charles Frederick Fisher and various courtiers in the "Ruins of the Castle of Lithuania." The satire targets aristocratic pretension and romantic entanglements among the upper classes—characters scheme about marriages, love letters, and social status while speaking in exaggerated, melodramatic dialogue. The accompanying illustrations show figures in theatrical costume. While the specific political figures referenced are unclear from this page alone, the work typifies Puck's approach: using fictional scenarios to mock contemporary social absurdities, romantic complications, and upper-class vanity through theatrical parody and witty wordplay.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
| THE PRINCESS PENNYROYAL, ‘A Novel Play of Very Temporary Human Interest. KING CHARLES FREDERICK FISHER “THE GREAT.” FRANCIS CHARLES COGHLAN TRENCK, his Cousin and J.B. KERNER STUDLEY CRISP WOLF VON RAV JAMES LEWIS SPYKE, NORTIER DRE’ D'AVILLA FORRE: LONGROIS BI Villain. Frederic’s Friend. , [tho Looneyparty. DAVENPORT, THE PRINCESS PENNY. FANNY ROYAL, MISS GEORGIE AGNETE DREW, Somebody's Niece ACT I. SCENE I Ruins of the Castle of Lithuania, dreadfully out of repair—(Daby). Enter the LOONENPARTY in masquerade costume. Looneyparty.—Fee! Fo! Fum!—ah! Enter Cazvarn KeRNER STUDLEY. Ker. (0 audience).—It will not require a vast amount of penetration to see that I am a villain and spy of the very first water. Ah! Ah! I love the beauteous Princess Fanny Pennyroyal. I doubt if my passion is returned, for she adores Frederic Charles Coghlan Trenck, but no mat- ter. I have some telephonagrams and postal- cards, which will compromise -her “some.” Unless she consents to be mine, and live on a sixth-floor flat, without an elevator, I'll expose her to the King. But here are the “ Looney- party.” I know the King wants to see them about that Five-hundred-thousand-million-dollar Loan, to carry on the war against Austria. Enter Kinc CHARLES FREDERICK FIsHE! Great.” Kine (looks round ).—The “Looneyparty!” Oh! Oh! Enter La Merrrie HaRpEN- BERG as a Looney party (dis- guised, of course,) and more Looney parties. | La Merrrie.—Well, old rooster! . \Q | Kinc.—Methinks I know © that voice. La Merrrie.—You want money—good; you shall have it. Five hundred thousand million dollars shall be sent to your tent as soon as I have time to draw a check and get it certified. (#xeunt.) SCENE IL. A Free Pass Below the Ruins (Daly). Enter Kine and La Merrrie HarpenBerG. Kinc.—Arn't you a Looneyparty? La Met.—Oh, dear, no—quite a mistake; it must have been some other feller. (Zxeunt.) PUCK. SCENE M1 voyal Back- Yard of a Frussian Inn. Enter James Lewis SpyvKe. J. L. SpvKe,—Shakspeare Daly wrote this funny part—please laugh at everything I do, and excuse my being ridiculous. waiter. (Grimaces.) Enter Count Von Davince Len- DoRFF and Miss GrorGcizE AGNETE Drew, Count Von = my niece. part.) Miss AGNETE.—This is my uncle. I am supposed to be in love with Frederic Charles Coghlan Trenck. E Davince.—This is (Mine is not a ‘great (Exeunt.) inter THE PRINCESS FANNY PENNYROYAL and her old Maid. Princess. —It’s about time somebody put in an appearance. (Retires.) (More grimacing by Spyke.) Enter F. C. Cocu- LAN TRENCK. CoGHLAN TRENCK (to Spyke).—Give me some breakfast. I'll take mush and milk, pork and beans, root-beer and a piece o’ pie. Hurry up! and I'll take you into my service. SPYKE. i (Exit.) Coc. TrencK.—Something tells me that I shall have to poke somebody in the ribs very soon, but I dare say breakfast is ready. (Un going he encounters Princess.) PRINCE: What's your name? C. Trencx.—Trencl uu nasty man! I am not my abominable cousin, Francis, although he looks like me—but my breakfast is getting cold. Adieu! (Exit. Enter Cartan KERNER, with large envelope. Ker.— I love you and have your letters. Princess.—I hate you and I want my letters. Ker.—You shan’t have ’em. Enter CoG. TRENCK, with table-napkin stuck in neck. TRENCK.—She shall! —Ah, my rival! Coc. Trenck.—Give them up! Ker.—Never. (Zhey fight. Trench runs Kerner through the body a few times, and hands envelope to Princess, who smiles.) TABLEAU. c ACT Il. .—A room with a very mysterious blue- glass mirror (Daly). Enter James Lewis SpvKe. (He does something with a candle.) SpyKE (¢0 audience).—Continue to split your sides whenever I make my appearance. I really have nothing to do with the plot, but am ready to enter into the service of any of the charac- ters on the shortest notice. I am not quite sure whose servant I am now. I first belonged to the inn; then Kerner said he’d engage me. I believe that, at the present moment, I am valet to Frederic Coghlan Trenck. (Exit.) Enter Tae Kin and Kerner. Ker. (#0 King).—Let us get behind that blue glass, and you shall see what yo" shall see. Scent I ama comic | Kinc.—First let me take a pinch of snuff, to show that I am “old Fritz.” (Takes smuff.) | A-tchoo! a-tchoo! (Exeunt,) Enter Freperic CoGHLAN 'TRENCK and Miss Acnete Drew. | Acnere.—I am supposed to be in love with you—do you think I am? CocHLAN TRENCK.—Please don’t ask conun- | drums. I believe I’m “spoons” on the Princess | Pennyroyal; at least, Daly has made me so. So | you’d better retire, for I hear the rustle of her | skirts. AGNETE retires. Enter Tue Princess PENNYROYAL. Princess (#0 COGHLAN TRENCK).—What a dear fellow you are! CocHLan TrENCK.—That being the case, you'd better meet me at the Rev. H. W. Beecher’s house, near the camp, and I'll lead you to the hymeneal altar. | Princess.—You bet. COGHLAN TRENCK. kiss Princess.—Not a bad idea. (Zhey embrace.) (Kine and Kerner seen looking through the blue glass, and afterwards listen at door.) CoGHLaNn TRENCK (to Princess).—I hear foot- steps, Fly! (She flies.) | Kine (ouéside).—It is she, the Princess. (As Kine and Kerner enter, AGNETE embraces COGHLAN TRENCK. Kine. —} Can our eyes and ears have de- Keren. | ceived us? It isn’t she Kinc.—Ah! Agnete, you love this Coghlan Trenck? AGNete.—Of course, I do now. —You shall marry him to-night NER.—Ah! ah! TABLEAU. Suppose you give us a ACT II. SCENE I The King's Camp, and other scamps and Bo- hemians knocking around; a Sentinel sentinelling. Daty (in the wings).—Now, then, Rosa and Mauri, go on and dance, there must be some applause to enliven this piece. (They dance.) And you, Syd- ney Cowell, give ’em a gipsy- song; you sing rather flat, but that’s of no consequence. (She sings.) Enter the Kinc, Crise Woir von Raven, COGHLAN TRENCK and KERNER. > Kine (to Coghlan Trenck).— I appoint you postmaster for to- night. Kerner.—Good enough. (Exeunt King and Kerner.) Cocutan TRENCK.—Crisp, I want to slip away and get married; take care of my post. Crisp.—I'll fix that. (Coghlan Trenck slips away to get married.) Enter four LOONEYPARTIES with five million dollars, more or less, they deposit money in King’s tent. SCENE 1 Enter Francis COGHLAN TRENCK, of the Aus- trian army. Francis C, TRencK.—I am here. Enter Kerner. Kerner (to Francis).—You're the image of your cousin Fred I hate him, “ Pull down your vest” is the pass-word; go in the tent, you'll be mistaken for Frederic, and steal the five million dollars, more or less. (Scene and everything else exeunt.) N.B.—This is a particularly moving scene.