Prince Leonce of the kingdom of Popo is to succeed to his father's throne and to this end he is to marry the princess of the kingdom of Pipi. But the young man is suffering. A disease of civilisation, we would say today, the symptoms of which are reminiscent of depressive illnesses: loss of interest in the outside world, loss of the ability to love, inhibition of any achievement. He suffers from melancholy. So he wants to escape from the office and the unknown bride with his newly acquired mate Valerio. After an unaccustomed walk through small-town country and a few glasses of wine at a country inn, the prince falls so violently in love with an unknown, mysterious young lady that he wants to marry her immediately. Meanwhile, however, the court is waiting eagerly and so far in vain for the royal children to be married off. What is to be done? Valerio promises the prince a solution, for a good reward of course.
Source of text and further information about the event: http://www.staatstheater-mainz.com/web/veranstaltungen/schauspiel18-19/leonce-und-lena
