Son of author George Sand, Maurice Sand started writing puppet plays in 1847 for performances intended only for his family and some of his friends in Nohant (France).

A key aspect of Maurice Sand’s theatre is the meticulous work done on the wooden head of his puppets made with Eugène Lambert, both having learnt anatomical drawing from Delacroix. The costumes, created with the help of George Sand to be in harmony with the face, reflect the personality of the characters. The set and the puppet booth complete it. Maurice Sand’s theatre is thus a collective work and is characterised by an artistic versatility.

Created in 1875, Une nuit à Châteauroux, also called Les Oignons de Jeu-Maloche or Une nuit à la Tête de veau, takes on the codes of the vaudeville.

The action is set in Châteauroux in 1875. Friturin the innkeeper is going away for a few days, leaving his wife Ursule alone with two servants, Jean and Mariette. A female traveller, Corisande, arrives at the inn but has to share a room with Madame Friturin. Another traveller, Balandard, claims a bed in a shared room that happens to be the one where Corisande sleeps. Balandard cannot sleep because of the snoring of “his neighbour”, and, not knowing that it is actually Corisande, he shakes her up. Thinking that the aggression comes from Madame Friturin, Corisande protests. After quarrelling, they switch beds. Jean, who is in charge of waking up Corisande so that she can take her diligence, gets confused and wakes up Balandard. Corisande misses her diligence and because she believes that Madame Friturin is next to her, she accuses her of not having woken her up.

Eventually, the misunderstanding is revealed. Balandard agrees to drive Corisande to La Châtre after having slept. When Monsieur Friturin comes back sooner than expected, he finds a man in his wife’s bed. While this happens, a fire sets off in the inn.