La joie de la maison

Research Status: Moderate Last Updated: 2025-12-07 Diary Coverage: Up to 1873-01-12

Overview

La joie de la maison is a comedy in three acts ("comédie en trois actes") written by Anicet Bourgeois and Pierre Decourcelle. The play was part of the popular repertoire of French provincial theaters during the 1870s.

Authors

Anicet Bourgeois (1806-1871) was a prolific French playwright known for melodramas and comedies. Despite his death in 1871, his works continued to be performed throughout France during the 1870s.

Pierre Decourcelle (1856-1926) was a notable French dramatist and novelist. This collaboration was typical of the French theatrical scene of the 1870s, when comedies and vaudevilles were extremely popular entertainment.

Performance History

The play was performed at various French theaters including the Opéra de Tours during the 1874-1875 season (performances on October 27, 1874 and December 3, 1874). It was often performed alongside operettas by Jacques Offenbach and other comedies of the era.

Performance Context (1873)

Marie attended a performance at the French Theater of Nice on January 12, 1873, where it was performed on a double bill with Labiche's famous farce Un chapeau de paille d'Italie, featuring the renowned actor Ravel.

The light comedic nature of the play was typical entertainment for the wealthy winter visitors to Nice during the social season.

Sources

Research conducted using web sources: Opéra de Tours archives 1874-1875

%%2025-12-07T15:40:00 RSR: First mentioned in entry 1873-01-12. Further research needed on plot and themes of this specific play%%