description La Puce à l'oreille Overview
La Puce à l'oreille (A Flea in Her Ear) is a French vaudeville farce written by Georges Feydeau in 1907. The plot centers on a woman who sets up a rendezvous at a disreputable Parisian hotel to test her husband's fidelity, which leads to a complex sequence of mistaken identities. The play is a prominent example of the French bedroom farce tradition, structured around precise mechanical entrances and exits.
insights Ranking position
La Puce à l'oreille ranks #1 of 161 in the Vaudeville ranking, ahead of Palace Theatre (New York).
help La Puce à l'oreille FAQ
What does the title "La Puce à l'oreille" mean in English?
The title translates to "A Flea in Her Ear," a French idiom meaning a suspicion or a nagging doubt. The phrase captures the central premise of the plot, in which a wife's unfounded suspicion of her husband's infidelity sets the comic chaos in motion.
When was Feydeau's "La Puce à l'oreille" first performed?
The play premiered in 1907 at the Théâtre des Variétés in Paris. It is widely regarded as Feydeau's masterwork and remains one of the most frequently performed French farces worldwide.
What is the famous hotel in "La Puce à l'oreille"?
A pivotal act takes place at the Hôtel de l'Univers, a disreputable Parisian hotel of assignation where characters converge and the case of mistaken identity spirals. The revolving bed and multiple doors of this set piece are among the most iconic staging challenges in theatrical farce.
Has "A Flea in Her Ear" been produced on Broadway?
Yes, the play has had multiple major English-language productions. A widely admired 1966 Broadway production directed by Gower Champion helped popularize Feydeau's work for American audiences, and it has been revived at venues such as the Old Vic in London.
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