Premiered at Félix Harel's Porte Saint-Martin theatre
From A Bibliography of Alexandre Dumas père by Frank Wild Reed: In Act II., Tableau II., Scene ii, Partout sings half of a low pot-house song, the remainder being wisely suppressed. The latter half is, however, given in a footnote "pour l'amateur" in the original manuscript. This stanza, rhyming a, a, b, c, c, b, b, and with a refrain, is only to be found in the original form of this imprinted drama; when revised, before being staged, it was struck out.
From A Bibliography of Alexandre Dumas père by Frank Wild Reed: A prose drama in four acts and eight tableaux, preceded by a prologue entitled "L'Armurier de Brientz." It was signed by Anicet Bourgeois alone, but it was common knowledge then and now that it was mainly by Dumas.
This is one of those "brutal" plays, then so much in evidence ; nevertheless, it is an exceedingly powerful piece and, one need hardly say, splendidly constructed. The final act aroused the hostility of the spectators, and one can comprehend this, though it was no more horrifying than many others of the time. One brother, a youth, is compelled by his mother and a faithful servitor to watch and describe the guillotining of his elder. Grisly as this seems to be, there was a purpose, to wit, the impression upon this lad of the assured reward of ill deeds.
The failure of this play did Dumas' dramatic career considerable temporary harm, and he produced no more work for the theatre during fourteen months, when the highly successful "Angèle" fully restored him.
First performed at the Porte Saint Martin Théâtre on the 28th of August, 1832.
This play has never been printed in full, but M. L. Henry Lecomte ("Alexandre Dumas Père," 1902) has given an excellent summary of the prologue and first three acts, while printing in full the fourth. It is to be noted that, in MS., the piece exists in two forms, and M. Lecomte supplies the text of that which was played, making no mention of the variant intended for the printer. M. Glinel was allowed to copy the entire play, then in the possession of M. Alexandre Dumas fils, but apparently since acquired by M. Lecomte. Moreover, by the kindness of the Vicomte Spoelberch de Lovenjoul, M. Glinel was able to compare it with the copy supplied to either the prompter or the leader of the orchestra, and to record a large number of alterations to the original text. This MS. of M. Glinel's has since been added to the Reed Dumas Collection.
References :—
Dumas: "Mes Mémoires," Chapters CCLIII. and CCXLV. Lecomte: "Alexandre Dumas," pp. 79, 84-111. Glinel: "Alexandre Dumas et Son Œuvre," pp. 321-22, Glinel: "Revue Biblio-Iconographique," 1898, pp. 509-10—"Théâtre Inconnu d'Alexandre Dumas."
