Henri Blondeau

Henri Marie Gabriel Blondeau (5 August 1841 – 4 May 1925) was a French playwright, librettist and chansonnier, famous for his song Frou-frou.

Biography

A clerk by a stockbroker, he became known in the early 1860s by his ditties in the cafés-concerts. With his friend Hector Monréal, they would collaborate during 40 years on the stages.

His plays were presented on the most significant Parisian stages of the 19th century including the Théâtre de l'Ambigu-Comique, Théâtre des Folies-Dramatiques, Théâtre des Variétés, Théâtre du Château d'Eau.

In 1870, during the Paris Commune, and in association with Monréal, he ran a satirical newspaper called the Fils du Père Duchêne illustré.

Works

Ah ! J'aime bien mieux ça !, chansonnette, music by Ernest Martin, 1863 L'Embarras du choix !, chansonnette, music by Martin, 1863 Victoire et félicité !, duo comique, music by Auguste Girin, 1863 Avez-vous vu Lambert ?, scie parisienne, 1864 Chacun a sa monomanie !, chansonnette, music by Henri Chulliot de Ploosen, 1864 Comme on change en vieillissant !, chansonnette de genre, 1864 Impossible de s'en passer !, chansonnette, music by Martin, 1864 Locataire et portier !, duo comique, music by Martin, 1864 La Belle Ziguezon, ronde historiette, lyrics and music by Blondeau and Monréal, 1865 Mr de Richenerac basconnade, chansonnette, with Monréal, 1865 Ça n'coûte que deux sous ! grrrrande revue du moment déroulée tous les soirs par Heudebert au Café-concert du boulevard du Temple, 1865 Le Pion amoureux, pochade-parody, mingled with couplets, 1866 Tapez-moi là-d'ssus !, revue in 4 acts and 8 tableaux, including 1 prologue, with Monréal, 1867 Ah ! qu'c'est bête, ronde burlesque et populaire, music by Léopold Bougnol, 1868 Les Hannetons de l'année, revue in 3 acts and 8 tableaux, including a prologue, with Monréal, 1868 Dagobert et son vélocipède, opérette bouffe in 1 act, 1869 V'là les bêtises qui recommencent, revue in 4 acts and 8 tableaux, with Monréal, 1869 Qui veut voir la lune ?, revue fantaisie in 3 acts and 8 tableaux, with Monréal, 1871 Paris dans l'eau, vaudeville aquatique in 4 acts, with Monréal, 1872 Une poignée de bêtises, revue in 2 acts and 3 tableaux, with Monréal, 1872 La Veuve Malbrough, operetta in 1 act, with Monréal, 1872 La Nuit des noces de la Fille Angot, vaudeville in 1 act, with Monréal, 1873 Les Pommes d'or, operetta féerie in 3 acts and 12 tableaux, with Chivot, Alfred Duru and Monréal, 1873 La Comète à Paris, revue in 3 acts and 10 tableaux, with Hector Monréal, 1874 Ah ! C'est donc toi Mme la Revue !, revue in 3 acts and 10 tableaux, with Monréal, 1874 Pif-Paf, féerie in 5 acts, including 1 prologue and 20 tableaux, with Clairville and Monréal, 1875 La Revue à la vapeur, actualité parisienne in 1 act and 3 tableaux, with Paul Siraudin, Charles Blondelet and Monréal, 1875 L'Ami Fritz-Poulet, parodie à la fourchette, mêlée de chansons à boire et à manger, en deux services, deux entremets et un dessert, with Monréal, 1876 A treize ! tout à treize !, chansonnette, 1876 Les Environs de Paris, voyage d'agrément in 4 acts and 8 tableaux, with Monréal, 1877 Un Hanneton dans la coupole, fantaisie Charentonesque, music by Marc Chautagne, 1877 Le Pays des chimères. Dalloz, song, music by Chautagne, 1877 Une Nuit de noces, folie-vaudeville in 1 act, with Monréal, 1883 Carnot, military drame in 5 acts and 8 tableaux, with Léon Jonathan, 1884 Au Clair de la lune, revue in 4 acts and 8 tableaux, with Monréal and Georges Grisier, 1884 Pêle-mêle gazette, revue in 4 acts and 7 tableaux, with Grisier et Monréal, 1885 La Serinette de Jeannot, vaudeville in 1 act, with Monréal, 1885 Les Terreurs de Jarnicoton, vaudeville-pantomime in 1 act, with Monréal, 1885 Les Victimes du devoir !, chanson dramatique, music by Félicien Vargues, 1885 Paris en général, revue in 4 acts and 10 tableaux, with Grisier and Monréal, 1886 Mam'zelle Clochette, vaudeville in 1 act, with Monréal, 1887 La Petite Francillon, little parody in 1 small prologue, 3 small acts and 2 short intermissions, with Alphonse Lemonnier and Monréal, 1887 Paris-cancans, revue in 3 acts and 8 tableaux, with Monréal, 1888 Paris Exposition, revue in 3 acts, 9 tableaux, with Monréal, 1889 Paris-boulevard, revue in 3 acts, 8 tableaux, with Monréal, 1889 Paris port de mer, revue in 3 acts, 7 tableaux, with Monréal, 1891 Les Variétés de l'année, revue in 3 acts and 9 tableaux, with Monréal, 1892 Les Bicyclistes en voyage, play in 3 acts and 7 tableaux, with Henri Chivot, 1893 Les Rouengaines de l'année, revue in 3 acts, 7 tableaux including a prologue, with Monréal, 1893 Tout Paris en revue, revue in 3 acts and 3 tableaux, with Monréal, 1894 La Revue sans gêne, revue in 3 acts, 9 tableaux, with Monréal and Alfred Delilia, 1894 Vive Robinson !, duo, with Monréal and Delilia, music by Lucien Collin, 1894 Une semaine à Paris, revue in 3 acts, 11 tableaux, with Monréal, 1896 Paris qui marche, revue in 3 acts, 10 tableaux, with Monréal, 1897 Paris sur scène, revue in 3 acts, 8 tableaux, with Monréal, 1897 Folies-Revue, revue in 3 acts, 9 tableaux, with Monréal, 1898 Frou-frou, song, with Monréal, 1898 Madame Méphisto, extravaganza play, in 2 acts and 5 tableaux, with Monréal, 1900 Paris-joujoux, revue in 2 acts and 6 tableaux, with Monréal, 1901 Olympia-Revue, in 4 tableaux, with Monréal, 1903 On demande une étoile, scènes de la vie de théâtre, with Monréal, 1904 Le Paradis de Mahomet, operetta in 3 acts, music by Robert Planquette, 1906 Guignol s'en va-t-en guerre, pochade in 3 tableaux and one prologue, with Victor Buteaux, 1915 Gaspard à Paris, revue d'un permissionnaire in 2 acts and 6 tableaux, with René Pourrière, 1917 Monsieur Bouchenlarge, fantaisie, undated Pour les distraire, dittie, undated