My interest in the theatre of the Parisian fairgrounds was first aroused in the 1980s when Slatkine Reprints published a complete facsimile of Lesage and d’Orneval's Le Théâtre de la Foire, ou l’opéra comique, and a brief selection in paperback was edited by Dominique Lurcel. I was captivated by the comic vivacity of these little plays. As I was then teaching in the French department of the University of Leicester, and also the licensee of the Attenborough Theatre Workshop (now, alas, sadly disappeared), I mounted a student production of four of these plays, which I called Arlequin à la Foire [https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100065120463816]. My musical director was former student Graham Campbell, who led a small band that included brother and sister Rosanna and Simon Keefe, both now distinguished academics. The cast were taught to sing by my friend, the late Moira Finch, a distinguished music teacher and voice coach. The success of this 1986 production further aroused my academic curiosity and I became intrigued by frequent references to an exceptionally talented performer known as Francisque. I was surprised to find that this famous man, whose career extended far beyond the fairs, is now known only through footnotes and casual mentions. He clearly merited a more thorough study. This is what I have tried to write.

In the very early stages of my research I was much helped and encouraged by the late Barry Russell of Oxford Brookes University, who founded CÉSAR (Calendrier électronique des Spectacles sous l’Ancien Régime et sous la Révolution), the important website devoted to the history of the Théâtre de la Foire; the website lives on after his death, hosted by the University of Grenoble-Alpes.