The play Madame Benoiton est indisposée (Madame Benoiton is unwell) is part of the volume Paris-Pantin : deuxième série des “Pupazzi” (Paris-Puppet: second instalment of the “Pupazzi”) published in 1868. In this book, the plays are preceded by several prologues, often improvised by Lemercier de Neuville before his performances.

As was the case in the two instalments of the first Pupazzi series (1866), the author creates his texts from contemplations on his time, portraits of personalities and accounts of recent events; for instance, one of the main characters is named Benoiton as a nod to Victorien Sardou and to his comedy in five acts La Famille Benoîton (The Benoîton Family) performed for the first time in Paris at the Théâtre du Vaudeville in 1865. Later, the proper noun “Benoîton” gave the article “benoîton” used in French to refer to wealthy people who exchanged their values for material wealth.

Monsieur Prudhomme is an emblematic character created by Henry Monnier (1799-1877), a French illustrator, caricaturist, and playwright. This character is a satire of the bourgeois man of Monnier’s time, symbolising the pretentiousness, rigid morality and conservative mind of the bourgeoisie during the first half of the 19th century.

Madame Benoiton calls the doctor Prudhomme, as she says that she is unwell. However, she refuses to specify where she is hurting, only declaring that she is suffering. Facing this lack of information, the doctor prescribes her a course of treatment in either Vichy or the Pyrenees. Madame Benoiton refuses, saying that there, “we are bored to death”.

Prudhomme then suggests sea bathing, but she also refuses because it would impose three toiletry changes and dance parties every day. Puzzled, the doctor finally diagnoses her with something: he advises her to find a “toy”.

She admits that she feels a void in her heart. He believes that she is in love with him and starts wooing her. They discover that Madame Benoiton enjoys poetry. Prudhomme recites a madrigal that he used a lot when he was younger; even after this, Madame Benoiton is not satisfied.

Prudhomme offers to hypnotise her. When she falls asleep, he questions her and discovers that her heart suffers… because of him. The doctor is the cause of her troubles. Moved, he kneels before her and declares his love.

To his surprise, Madame Benoiton bursts into laughter. He realises that she was not asleep but that she followed his first advice: to find a “toy”.