Le Père Lebonnard : Comédie en 4 actes, en vers, reprise à la Comédie Française le 4 août 1904

In a modest provincial town at the close of the 19th century, the entire drama unfolds within the tidy salon of a prosperous bourgeois family. Lebonnard, a self‑made inventor and clock‑maker, spends his mornings hunched over a workbench, gleefully brandishing a tiny hammer and a magnifying glass as if they were royal scepters. His pride in the tools that built his fortune fuels a light‑hearted, rhymed monologue that sets the comic rhythm of the piece.

The arrival of his daughter Jeanne sparks the family’s everyday squabbles, as she teases her father’s obsession while their matriarch, unseen but ever‑present, disapproves of his noisy creations. A nervous footman, a half‑forgotten cushion, and a mischievous clock on the wall promise a cascade of misunderstandings and witty repartee. The audience is invited to watch how Lebonnard’s inventive zeal collides with domestic expectations, promising a charming blend of satire and affection.