This short anonymous play was performed as an opening prologue for a puppet show in a theatre of the Boulevard du Temple (Paris). The show also included a féerie (Scherbiby), a “Polyorama Panoptique” (optical performance) and an aerobatics act. The manuscript of La Fontaine de jouvence (The Fountain of Youth) is kept in the Archives Nationales (national archives of France), in the archives dedicated to theatre censorship (F/18/1328).

Built at the junction of the Rue Molière and the Rue de Richelieu in the 1st arrondissement of Paris, the Fontaine Molière surrounded by the two allegories of the Serious Comedy and Light Comedy was inaugurated in 1844 after a public subscription.

The manuscript specifies that, at the beginning of the play, Polichinelle has to speak without the swazzle until he rejuvenates. As was the case for most of the indoor performances at the time, the show used either string marionettes or rod and string marionettes.

Polichinelle, a “broken old man” with a beard and white hair, enters the scene followed by some Gamins (Kids) making fun of him. The Génie de la Fontaine Molière (the Fontaine Molière Genie) appears, chases away the Gamins and comforts Polichinelle: he complains about his old age and relates his past achievements in Italy, Germany, England and France. They are both sorry for the death of writer Charles Nodier (1780-1844), who had praised Polichinelle. The Génie makes the statue of Molière that ornates the fountain appear, and he tells Polichinelle to drink from the fountain. Polichinelle obeys and immediately rejuvenates. Arlequin, Colombine, Pierrot, Léandre and Cassandre appear with the cast of a ballet who invites Polichinelle to join everyone and dance.