The play is set in Orleans in 1867. Madame Pétenvert (a widow) and Mademoiselle Euphémie are accommodating two captains – Vachard and Chiclair – for three months. They quickly fall in love with their guests and would like to marry them. However, the two captains take advantage of the situation and spend their time talking, in a light-hearted manner, about politics, the army and, at the same, about women, billiards and their love of good food. One day, they are invited to dinner at the colonel’s house. The dinner ends with the two captains being drunk and getting the landladies’ houses mixed up. Thus, the two men being sick, captain Vachard spends the night with Mademoiselle Euphémie while captain Chiclair sleeps with Mademoiselle Pétenvert. The following day, after leaving the houses, they both accuse each other of having disrespected them, because of the state of their slippers and of the beds. However, this conversation about honour ends up being a commentary on the night they have just spent with the two women. The captains accuse the colonel of having treated them “too well” and the latter, in response, orders them to go back to their respective landladies and to marry them.

Glove-puppet

Not specified

Maurice Sand (Maurice Sand)

France

Nohant

Printed

Politics

Army

Soldier

Dinner

Glutton

Entertainment

Unfaithfulness

Wedding

Satirical

Comical

Eugène Lambert, George Sand, Maurice Sand : marionette de Madame Pétenvert.

French

La Garnison d’Orléans, Les Deux Capitaines.

Captain

Colonel

Waiter

Widow

Host

Servant

Domestic servant

Allusion to current political events

Comedy of language

Situation comedy

Nous dînons chez le colonel

We are dining at the colonel's

After a prologue in which Casper announces, among other things, that he is going to cut off the ears of children who are not well-behaved, the performance begins. Casper announces that, out of boredom, he wants to become a soldier. He shows his insubordination towards the non-commissioned officer who undertakes to train him by beating him with sticks. The non-commissioned officer sends him to the devil, who arrives: Casper kills him. He returns to his wife, announcing that he will be a general. She hits him with a broom, takes his stick back and they fight.

Young audiences

Germany

Sonneberg

Military

Silliness

Insubordination

Violence

Spousal abuse

General

Stick

Wickedness

Broom

Household

Couple

Farcical

Ironic

German

Kasperl

Madame Kasperl

Non-commissioned officer

Devil

Prologue

Word for another

Stichomythia

Blow-with-a-stick

Apparition of the Devil

Domestic scene

Comic equivocation

Brawl

Casper will Soldat werden

Casper wants to become a soldier

Florindo confesses his love for Rosaura to Fasolino, and he declares that this love is so strong that he will kill himself if he cannot marry her. But Fasolino explains that the marriage is virtually impossible, as Rosaura’s father – Pantalone – wants her to marry Gervasio, a wealthy retired colonel. Florindo sings a serenade for Rosaura, with a group of singers. Pantalone and Brighella hear the music and come out of the house to see what it is happening. Brighella tells Pantalone that this is Florindo’s plan to persuade Rosaura not to marry Gervasio. Pantalone asks his daughter to explain herself, and she confesses that she loves Florindo. Right away, Pantalone decides to leave for Paris with Brighella and Rosaura, so that the latter forgets about Florindo. Pantalone suggests that they invite Gervasio to Paris in the meantime. Florindo and Fasolino overhear him and decide to go to Paris too. Florindo promises Rosaura that he will meet her in Paris. Brighella tells Sandrone and Gervasio that they are leaving for Paris. Gervasio swears that he will get his revenge on Florindo, and he sends Sandrone to the port and asks him to save them cabins on the next boat.