“Männerlist größer als Frauenlist oder Die glückliche Bärenfamilie” (Richard Wagner) Synopsis

1st act
It’s a busy day in the shop of jeweler Julius Wander. Among the customers, Julius finds the gorgeous Leontine who attracts his attention and with whom he falls in love instantly. While Leontine seems to be generally interested in the lovestruck Julius, she is rather irritated by the boasting sign she spots above the shop’s entrance door: „Men are more cunning than women“. Leontine then tells Julius that her father, the Baron von Abendtau, regards her as downright ugly and fears that she will never find a husband to marry. Astonished by the idea that a person could actually find this lovely creature to be ugly, he immediately leaves for the Baron’s house to ask for his daughter’s hand in marriage. Meanwhile, in the presence of his cheeky servant Anastasius, the Baron is comtemplating on the miserable state of his aristocratic lineage which is on the brink of extinction. When Julius approaches Abendtau, the Baron is slightly puzzled about the brisky young man and his urgent wedding plans but agrees to the marriage under the condition that Julius can proof that he is of aristocratic descent. Julius reassures Abendtau that he is from an old aristocratic family and the preparations for the engagment ceremony begin right away. A multitude of guests arrive at Abendtau’s house and a notary appears with a marriage contract to sign. However, when Abendtau finally presents his daughter to Julius, the jeweler learns to his utter dismay that Leontine has set him up …

2nd act
Julius sits in his shop, distraught. He laments his fate. Leontine passes by and easily rebukes Julius’ accusations as to how she could have been so cruel to an innocent man. She tells him that she felt deeply insulted by the motto above the door. Julius starts to explain to Leontine the very personal history behind the motto. He eventually is willing to concede his defeat to a woman’s cunning but just when he is about to tear down the sign, he suddenly stops as he notices a circus coming to town. All of a sudden, an idea comes to his mind and he announces to the puzzled Leontine that his defeat is not yet complete and the sign will stay in its place a little longer. Curious about what he is up to, she offers to marry him if he is able to find a way out of this situation. Julius tells the bear-leader of the circus to come to Abendtau’s place with his bear as an entertainer at the wedding ceremony. After Anastasius and other servants have prepared everything for the wedding, Abendtau welcomes his guests, among them several aristocratic relatives and Leontine. Julius, continuously informing the Baron that he is so anxious to meet his bride, presents the bear-leader and his bear for some entertainment. Abendtau is disgusted by such trivial amusement but makes an effort to endure it. Only moments later however, the true identity of the bear-leader is revealed and the subsequent turmoil brings Julius closer to his goal …