A Flea in Her Ear
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A Flea in Her Ear (French: La Puce à l'oreille) is a 1907 play by Georges Feydeau written at the height of the Belle Époque.
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[edit] Plot
A bedroom farce, its plot is a series of misunderstandings, clandestine assignations, misplaced jealousies, and frantic chases. Madame Raymonde Chandebise mistakenly believes her husband Victor is having an affair due to his recent lack of affection. Her suspicion is heightened with the arrival of a package, marked with the return address of a disreputable hotel, containing his suspenders. To prove herself right, she sends him an anonymous letter inviting him to a romantic rendezvous at the establishment. Victor misinterprets the letter and sends his friend Tournel, a notorious womanizer, in his place, and comic complications quickly ensue.
[edit] Adaptions & Performance History
[edit] Screen
The BBC broadcast a production of the play on June 7, 1967. It marked the television debut of Anthony Hopkins, playing Étienne Plucheux.
John Mortimer then wrote the screenplay for a 1968 20th Century Fox feature film also directed by Jacques Charon. The cast included Rex Harrison, Rosemary Harris, Louis Jourdan, and Rachel Roberts.
[edit] Stage
John Mortimer translated the play for the National Theatre, opening at the Old Vic in 1966. It was directed by Jacques Charon and starred Albert Finney and Geraldine McEwan.
An English language translation by Barnett Shaw had a brief Broadway run at the ANTA Playhouse in 1969. It was directed by Gower Champion and starred Robert Gerringer and Ruth Kobart.
An adaptation by Jean-Marie Besset and Mark O'Donnell was staged by the Roundabout Theatre Company in New York City in 1998. Directed by Bill Irwin, it opened on March 5 and ran for 77 performances. The cast included Mark Linn-Baker, Alice Playten, and Richard B. Shull.
