Abstrakt
Even though the boulevard comedy is still a genre that is highly appreciated by the public, it is, among theatre specialists and theatrologists, considered as a genre that does not deserve to be the subject of in-depth research. On the one hand because of its so-called inferior literary quality to subsidised plays, on the other hand because of its theme of marital trio, its crude jokes and exaggerated dramatic art.
The article demonstrates the difference in the reception of boulevard comedy in France and in the Czech Republic. Firstly, by studying the few studies devoted to boulevard theatre, the article shows how this genre has evolved and what has shaped it into its present form (with focus on two major moments in French history: the French Revolution and the period between the two world wars).
In the second part, the article focuses on the reception of the genre in the Czech Republic, based on the results of a survey conducted among Czech theatre people and spectators.