One night the performance of Maestro Pedro’s puppet show does not go according to plan: while the maestro is coaxing to his puppets tell the story of the beautiful Princess Melisendra, one member of the audience is so spellbound by their fable he is unable to remain in his seat. This is Don Quijote, the knight who fought against windmills and for his own imagination in Miguel de Cervantes’ famous Spanish epic, who believes here that he has unexpectedly found himself back in one of his many adventures. Don Quijote storms onto Maestro Pedro’s stage undaunted and ready for a fight to protect Melisendra, who has just been able to escape with her husband Gayferos from the vengeance of her pursuers. Stupidly, he is so overcome by rage that he will only let his sword rest once the final puppet in the group of pursuers has lost its head, by which time the rest of the audience has run away. He dedicates his act of heroism devotedly to his imaginary lover Dulcinea, while the uncomprehending Pedro has to mourn the loss of his puppets.

As early as the prologue, Don Quijote and his faithful friend Sancho Panza experience all manner of adventures on and with the stage – windmills included – in this family-friendly production by Ilaria Lanzino and Torge Möller (fettfilm). This one-act opera by the Spanish composer Manuel de Falla (1876 – 1946) is a charming chamber piece, a play within a play, with the internationally renowned Düsseldorfer Marionetten-Theater bringing the story of Maestro Pedro’s travelling theatre to life until Don Quijote leaps directly onto the puppet stage with the help of live video and a little magic! read less