From A Bibliography of Alexandre Dumas père by Frank Wild Reed: A vaudeville in one act, by MM. Rousseau, Adolphe (de Leuven) and Davy (Dumas), in prose, with a considerable interspersing of songs.
This was the first of Dumas' works to be staged. He and his friend, de Leuven, had been practising together for some years, but without any success. They now called in the more experienced Rousseau to aid them, but he was scornful of all the pieces they placed before him. To enliven the conversation, Dumas related an amusing incident which had come under his notice in his native forests. Rousseau was delighted, and asked why he went to other writers for plots when he could relate such charming things himself. At once it was agreed to construct a vaudeville on this very theme.
According to Dumas, the first seven scenes were of his composition ; the second seven, de Leuven's ; and the final eight, not having been developed as had been arranged by Rousseau, were done by the three together.
Rejected by the Gymnase, it was accepted with acclamation by the Ambigu Comique Théâtre, and there performed for the first time on September 22nd, 1825.
First edition : Paris, Duvernois, 1825, pp. 40, 8vo.
It now forms the first piece in both editions of the collected plays published by Calmann-Lévy.
References :—
Dumas: "Mémoires," Chapters CV. and CVI. Janin: "Alexandre Dumas : 1871," pp. 35-41. Glinel: "Alexandre Dumas et Son Œuvre," pp. 142-146.
From A Bibliography of Alexandre Dumas père by Frank Wild Reed: Taking Dumas at his word, and accrediting him with the first seven scenes of this vaudeville, we find that he is responsible for five songs, totalling 43 lines. Of these, that of 11 lines in Scene iii. was much applauded by his fellow-workers. He quotes it in his "Mémoires," as does M. Glinel in his work named.
