M. Prudhomme visits Madame Benoiton and asks for her youngest daughter’s hand for his son. At first, Madame Benoiton mistakes him for a merchant. Once his identity cleared up, Madame Benoiton suggests for them to talk and to get to know each other. During their conversation, she questions him on famous personalities and authors such as Victorien Sardou, Poquelin, Dumas fils, Octave Feuillet, Émile de Girardin, Ponson du Terrail and Timothée Trimm. The conversation, now light and mundane, is punctuated by dances: Madame Benoiton seems charmed by M. Prudhomme, thanks to his manners and his answers. M. Prudhomme does his best to give a good impression and assures that “like father like son”. The conversation continues with lots of compliments and mutual gallant remarks. In the end, they agree to the wedding. However, as he is about to leave, M. Prudhomme’s aside reveals that none of what he said is what he really thought.

Glove-puppet

Not specified

Lemercier de Neuville Louis

France

Paris

Printed

Discussions

Bourgeoisie

Wedding

Current events

Life of the theatres

Comical

Satirical

Lemercier de Neuville, illustration for Les Fourberies de M. Prudhomme, 1868.

French

Bourgeois

Monsieur Prudhomme

Woman of the bourgeoisie

Aside

Sung scenes

Music

Current affairs

Address to the public

False exit

Les Fourberies de M. Prudhomme

M. Prudhomme’s Trickeries

A runaway slave meets a dragon which threatens to breathe fire on him; he asks the dragon whether it has the sultan’s permission to do so, predicting that the dragon will eat his former master before the guard kills it. But things do not turn out exactly as expected. Right before the audience, the dragon meets a knight who wants the sultan to recognise his superiority to become a knight too. The sultan refuses to talk, appointing the dragon to speak in his stead and authorising him to breathe fire on the knight. The slave returns in order to sit on the throne that he thinks empty – and it is indeed soon to be the case, because the sultan suddenly decides to follow in the deceased knight’s footsteps and take his place. Meanwhile, the fat Katja, who was dancing and singing for the sultan, has moved in with the dragon, and everyone is invited for coffee.

String marionette

Young audiences

Fühmann Franz

Germany

Märkisch Buchholz

Tyranny

Slave

Emancipation

Animals, Mythical

Reign

Despotism

Turkey

Forecast

Tolerance

Vocation

Coffee

Slogan

Politics

Civism

Love

Couple

Society

Black

Humorous

Fantasy

German

Wie wird man Oberdiskutierer

Magician

Fat lady

Dragon

Sultan

Knight

Spectacular turn of events

Intervention of the audience

Imbroglio

Talking animal

Song

Object coming to life

Political allegory

Prologue

Personification

Optional scene

Dialogue of the deaf

Improvised scene

Der glückliche Ritter von Trinitat

The happy Knight of Trinitat