The manuscript was bought by Léopold Dor in 1927 and is now kept in the Musée des Arts de la Marionnette (Musées Gadagne) in Lyon, France. The cover page bears the date 1852-1854 and the name of Louis Josserand senior, but it is in fact a copy made in 1905 by puppeteer Joanny Durafour (1853-1938) which specifies that this was one of the most successful plays of the Théâtre Guignol on Rue Port-du-Temple. The copy points out several additions to the original text. For instance, the fourth tableau is introduced with the following lines: “This tableau is optional and was not featured in the original play. It was added by the brothers [Louis and Laurent] Josserand”. Another tableau – the seventh – was created by Durafour. It is entitled “La Lune à un mètre” (a metre away from the Moon) and was performed for the first time in Marseilles, during the summer season of 1903. Several passages in verse were added in 1889, when the last shows in Lyon were being played.

Guignol – a ragman – is upset as he finds nothing to resell. He comes across Gnafron, who is sleeping. Guignol is engaged to Louison – Gnafron’s daughter – but the three of them are lazy and penniless. They find a poster of the aeronaut Baloffet, who is about to take off for the Moon in a balloon and offers two thousand francs to whoever will go with him. Guignol volunteers and shares half of the advance on the reward with Gnafron. Louison is staying with her father and reproaches him for spending all the money he makes repairing shoes on wine. But the Bailli (bailiff) comes in and offers Gnafron twenty francs so that he shares with him the letters Guignol will send from the Moon.

The balloon flies over a few forests then lands in the North Pole, before finally taking off for the Moon. Louison reads out Guignol’s first letter to the Bailli: Guignol is still on his way. On the Moon, the King and Queen attend a party where “mechanised dancers” are performing. Some guards bring in Guignol, who has just arrived. The King and Queen show him their wings. They are surprised to see that Guignol does not have any. They first consider putting him in a cage, but instead they ask him questions about life on Earth and how he travelled to the Moon. Guignol offers to establish business relationships between the Moon and the Earth. The King’s subjects revolt. Having been impressed by the gun Guignol carries, the King appoints him general-in-chief of his army. Guignol sends Baloffet back to Earth so that he brings Louison and Gnafron, who were already packing their things. Back on the Moon, Guignol has defeated the rebels, and he celebrates his victory by drinking wine. The Queen privately confesses her love to him. Gnafron and Louison have arrived on the Moon and come celebrate Guignol’s victory too. Gnafron is appointed as the King’s sommelier and the plays ends with a grand finale and a last verse.