This work is a large zarzuela, in three acts, an unusual length in those early years of the revived zarzuela genre. Jugar con fuego (Playing with Fire) followed the model of the French opéra-comique, an example that other composers would later adopt as they joined the new zarzuela movement.

Ventura de la Vega drew the plot from the French comedy La Comtesse de Egmont by Jacques F. Ancelot (1794-1854) and Alejo B. Decombereusse (1769-1862), although he set it in Spain to give it a more patriotic feel. The title alludes to the danger of playing with love.
The announcement of the new production informed the public that there would be sets designed by Muriel and that the performance would conclude with an Aragonese jota performed by four couples. This work was to inaugurate the theatrical season at the Teatro del Circo. Apparently, the public was surprised by the historical-serious nature of the zarzuela, since previous 19th-century zarzuelas were rather comical and of little theatrical scope.