THÉÂTRE PRINCESSE GRÂCE- LE BOURGEOIS GENTILHOMME

Created in 1670 for the court of Louis XIV, this comédie-ballet blends theater, music, and dance.

Beneath the appearance of a baroque and musical farce, The Bourgeois Gentleman (Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme) portrays the illusions of a wealthy bourgeois fascinated by the nobility. In an attempt to enter this idealized world, he surrounds himself with masters of various disciplines—dance, music, fencing, and philosophy—becoming the prey of flatterers and impostors.

In a whirlwind of misunderstandings, arranged marriages, and sketch-like scenes of Eastern inspiration, the play humorously questions the boundaries between social classes, the power of appearances, and the ridicule of social climbing.