From A Bibliography of Alexandre Dumas père by Frank Wild Reed: A fantastic drama (Dumas' description) in five acts and ten tableaux, in prose and verse.
By Alexandre Dumas and Auguste Maquet.
The first play to be witnessed by Dumas when at length, a youth, he settled in Paris, was the "Vampire," by Charles Nodier, Carmouche and Jouffroy. Either this was based on Polidori's story of the same name, or both were drawn from a previous source. Be that as it may, Dumas was evidently powerfully impressed by the subject, and twenty-eight years later tried his hand at a version of his own. As usual with him, he improves upon his originals, though this cannot be considered by any means one of his better pieces. None the less it is quite readable, though it suffers from the very defects its author pointed out in that of Nodier : the repetition of a similar tragedy in different acts.
First performed at the Ambigu Comique on the 20th of December (according to the "Théâtre Complet"), or on the 30th of that month (according to Glinel), 1851.
It was apparently not published until included in the collected plays. This would then be in 1865.
It is now found in Vol. XI. of the 15 Vol. series, and in Vol. XVIII. of that in 25 Vols., issued by Calmann-Lévy.
References :—
Dumas: "Mes Mémoires," Chapters LXXV. to LXXVII. (For Nodier's "Vampire.") Glinel: "Alexandre Dumas et Son Œuvre," page 426. Lecomte: "Alexandre Dumas," page 120. Parran: "Bibliographie d'Alexandre Dumas," page 33.
Polidori (Dr.): "The Vampyre" (1819). Nodier: "Lord Ruthwen, ou les Vampires," 2 vols., Paris, Ladvocat, 1820. (Romance.) Nodier, Carmouche et Jouffroy : "Le Vampire;" Paris, Barba, 1820. (Drama.) (An English adaptation as "The Vampire" was prepared by Planché and performed in London in 1820, and again in 1829.)
Parigot: "Le Drame d'Alexandre Dumas," page 168.
From A Bibliography of Alexandre Dumas père by Frank Wild Reed: (CLXXIII.) Chant Bohémien. Act I., Tableau I., Scene i. Three eight-line stanzas, rhyming a, b, a, b, c, d, c, d; with a four-line chorus, rhyming e, f, e, f.
(CLXXIV.) Act III., Tableau V., Scene i. This entire scene consists of twenty-five verses each of four lines, comprising stanzas of which the lines are not always of uniform length, and of which the lines are sometimes alternate, sometimes in couplets, and sometimes a, b, b, a.
(CLXXV.) Act III., Tableau V., Scene ii., is again in verse throughout, sung by Mélusine, by Gilbert and by the old man. It comprises twelve four-line stanzas, all rhyming alternately.
