Alfred Hennequin
Encyclopedia
Alfred Hennequin was a Belgian dramatist who had a successful career as a writer of comedies. He is recognised as one of the innovators in the genre of farce
. Georges Feydeau
, whose name is synonymous with French farce, publicly acknowledged his debt to Hennequin. He was also the father of the farceur Charles-Maurice Hennequin.
and studied at the Ecole des Mines de Liege. He began his career as an engineer in the Belgian Railways. Passionate about playwriting, he wrote a few pieces under the pseudonym of Alfred Debrun or Alfred Lebrun. These included The Three Hats which played in Brussels
. He then went to Paris
to run a streetcar company while pursuing his theatrical career. The Three Hats was revived successfully at the Theatre du Vaudeville in Paris in 1871. He co-wrote Aline with Armand Silvestre and Le Procès Veauradieux
with Alfred Delacour. After further success with these, he decided in 1875 to abandon his industrial career in order to focus exclusively on the stage. Hennequin became the leading figure behind a new theatrical form, "le vaudeville structuré", examples of which were Le Procès Veauradieux and Les Dominos roses.
For his ability to sort out the most intractable entanglements in his farces, Abbé Louis Bethlehem nicknamed Hennequin the Bouchardy of farce. The complexity of his plots would often defy any attempt at neat summarization by critics. For example, in February 1880, the critic Arnold Mortier resorted to drawing a detailed plan of the set in place of a review of La Corbeille de mariage, co-written by Hennequin and Henri Bocage. This type of farce was baptized hennequinade in honour of its inventor.
A few years later, Georges Feydeau built on this technique to construct his farces, willingly naming his masters: Eugene Labiche for characters, Henri Meilhac
and Ludovic Halevy
for dialogue, and Alfred Hennequin, the engineer of farce, for construction of plots.
Following in his footsteps, his son Charles-Maurice threw himself into playwriting at the age of 19. Father and son collaborated in the early years, for example co-writing Trop de vertu! in 1886.
Alfred Hennequin had an enormously successful career as a writer of comedies. He worked hard and drank to excess, the combination of which led to his confinement in a nursing home in Saint-Mande
in March 1886. He died a few months later at Epinay
, on August 7, 1887 at the age of 45.
in Richmond, London
revived Le Procès Veauradieux under the title Once Bitten to critical acclaim. The play was translated by Reggie Oliver and directed by Sam Walters.
Farce
In theatre, a farce is a comedy which aims at entertaining the audience by means of unlikely, extravagant, and improbable situations, disguise and mistaken identity, verbal humour of varying degrees of sophistication, which may include word play, and a fast-paced plot whose speed usually increases,...
. Georges Feydeau
Georges Feydeau
Georges Feydeau was a French playwright of the era known as the Belle Époque. He is remembered for his many lively farces.-Biography:Georges Feydeau was born in Paris, the son of novelist Ernest-Aimé Feydeau and Léocadie Bogaslawa Zalewska. At the age of twenty, Feydeau wrote his first comic...
, whose name is synonymous with French farce, publicly acknowledged his debt to Hennequin. He was also the father of the farceur Charles-Maurice Hennequin.
Life and career
Hennequin was born in LiegeLiege
Liège is a municipality and a city of Belgium. The term Liège or Liege may also refer to:* Liege, a party to the oath of allegiance in feudalism .* Liège Island, in the Antarctic...
and studied at the Ecole des Mines de Liege. He began his career as an engineer in the Belgian Railways. Passionate about playwriting, he wrote a few pieces under the pseudonym of Alfred Debrun or Alfred Lebrun. These included The Three Hats which played in Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
. He then went to Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
to run a streetcar company while pursuing his theatrical career. The Three Hats was revived successfully at the Theatre du Vaudeville in Paris in 1871. He co-wrote Aline with Armand Silvestre and Le Procès Veauradieux
Le Procès Veauradieux
Le Procès Veauradieux is an 1875 farce written by Alfred Hennequin and Alfred Delacour. It was one of the major successes of Hennequin's career and is said to have inspired Dion Boucicault's comedy Forbidden Fruit. It was revived in London to critical acclaim in 2010 at the Orange Tree Theatre...
with Alfred Delacour. After further success with these, he decided in 1875 to abandon his industrial career in order to focus exclusively on the stage. Hennequin became the leading figure behind a new theatrical form, "le vaudeville structuré", examples of which were Le Procès Veauradieux and Les Dominos roses.
For his ability to sort out the most intractable entanglements in his farces, Abbé Louis Bethlehem nicknamed Hennequin the Bouchardy of farce. The complexity of his plots would often defy any attempt at neat summarization by critics. For example, in February 1880, the critic Arnold Mortier resorted to drawing a detailed plan of the set in place of a review of La Corbeille de mariage, co-written by Hennequin and Henri Bocage. This type of farce was baptized hennequinade in honour of its inventor.
A few years later, Georges Feydeau built on this technique to construct his farces, willingly naming his masters: Eugene Labiche for characters, Henri Meilhac
Henri Meilhac
Henri Meilhac , was a French dramatist and opera librettist.-Biography:Meilhac was born in Paris in 1831. As a young man, he began writing fanciful articles for Parisian newspapers and vaudevilles, in a vivacious boulevardier spirit which brought him to the forefront...
and Ludovic Halevy
Ludovic Halévy
Ludovic Halévy was a French author and playwright. He was half Jewish : his Jewish father had converted to Christianity prior to his birth, to marry his mother, née Alexandrine Lebas.-Biography:Ludovic Halévy was born in Paris...
for dialogue, and Alfred Hennequin, the engineer of farce, for construction of plots.
Following in his footsteps, his son Charles-Maurice threw himself into playwriting at the age of 19. Father and son collaborated in the early years, for example co-writing Trop de vertu! in 1886.
Alfred Hennequin had an enormously successful career as a writer of comedies. He worked hard and drank to excess, the combination of which led to his confinement in a nursing home in Saint-Mande
Saint-Mandé
Saint-Mandé is a commune of the Val-de-Marne department in Île-de-France in the eastern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the center of Paris. It is one of the most densely populated municipalities in Europe.-History:...
in March 1886. He died a few months later at Epinay
Épinay
Épinay is the name or part of the name of ten communes of France:*Épinay, Eure in the Eure département*Épinay-Champlâtreux in the Val-d'Oise département*Épinay-sous-Sénart in the Essonne département...
, on August 7, 1887 at the age of 45.
London revival of Le Procès Veauradieux in 2010
Unlike Feydeau, Hennequin's work is largely unknown in the English-speaking world. In 2010, the Orange Tree TheatreOrange Tree Theatre
The Orange Tree Theatre is a 172-seat theatre at 1 Clarence Street, Richmond in south west London, built specifically as a theatre in the round....
in Richmond, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
revived Le Procès Veauradieux under the title Once Bitten to critical acclaim. The play was translated by Reggie Oliver and directed by Sam Walters.