—Return to Top—
Charles Louis Desnoyer (1806-1858)— by Frank J. Morlock
He debuted in the theatre in 1827 as actor/author in a play called I want to be an actor. He was a good looking man, but his voice was unpleasant which tarnished his
success. Not meeting with much success as an actor he gave up the stage and became a writer. He collaborated with over thirty different playwrights, but he is never listed as having collaborated with
Dumas. He did, however, collaborate with many of Dumas' friends and collaborators. He wrote perhaps a hundred plays. From 1841-1847 he was regisseur-general of the théâtre
Français. In May of 1852 he took over the direction of the Ambigu-Comique, but he was not a very good manager and the theatre did not prosper. Notwithstanding, Desnoyer was a very honest man
devoted to his friends and family, which his death at 52, left absolutely penniless.
He was a close friend of Dumas from about 1827.
—Return to Top—
Maurice Quentin Bauchart (1857-1910)— by Frank J. Morlock
Born in Paris he became a well known attorney, and represented The Champs-Elysee as a Municipal Councillor for 20 years. Like so many French lawyers and doctors he manifested
a strong interest in the arts.
He was also a collector of old stamps, bronzes and works on the Franco-Prussian War and the Commune. He wrote a history of the Champs-Elysse. Under the nom de plume, Jean
Berleux, he wrote several novels, essays about art, and plays in the eighties and nineties, including The End of Murat presented here. His father and son were also writers. His works although
unpretentious are not without merit or interest. He was what we would call an antiquarian.
—Return to Top—
Pierre François Camus, called Merville — by Frank J. Morlock
Pierre François Camus, called Merville, was trained as a doctor, but having a taste for theatre turned to acting under his mother's name, "Merville". He became the
youthful lead in a company that toured the provinces, eventually joining a troupe called to Cassel by Jerome Bonaparte. From acting, he turned to writing. As a writer he was competent, facile, and
prolific. His most notable play was La Famille Glinet which had as its theme the reconciliation of the various parties. Louis XVIII was rumored to have collaborated on it. Merville wrote in
genre, comedy, classical tragedy, comic opera. He translated plays by Lessing and R.B. Sheridan into French. In addition to his numerous plays, he wrote a novel. At 21 is notable for the speed
with which it was composed. The Duke de Reichstadt died on the 21st of July 1831, and Merville's one act play on the subject was staged on the 19th of August. While At 21 is not a great play
(and far inferior to Desnoyer's King of Rome) it pretty much set the tone for future works on the subject. The faithful French man and his daughter taking lowly positions (as gardeners) to
reach the Duke. The evil priest and courtiers around him who rejoice in his death, etc. All this is present in Merville's play. It says much for his theatrical abilities that these themes were
incorporated (although more effectively) by other writers.
—Return to Top—
Maurice Drack (Auguste Alfred Poitevin, called) — by Frank J. Morlock
Born in Paris in 1834, Drack became a journalist and drama critic. He wrote novels and plays. His twenty plays are forgotten and even the titles of his novels are shrouded in mystery. He edited and apparently published an anthology of plays performed at fairs from the 17th to the 19th centuries (1889). He also edited The Amorous History of the Gauls by Busy-Rabutin. Based on the evidence of his dramatization of La San Felice (1881) he seems to have possessed considerable talent as a dramatist although it is not clear he enjoyed any great financial or critical success. The first act of San Felice is really magnificent. A Neapolitan Street Scene circa 1798. Drack makes some changes in Dumas' story, but I do not think Dumas would have felt betrayed by Drack. La San Felice is an enormous novel and Drack's ability to compress it and stage it is proof of theatrical ability of no mean order.
—Return to Top—
|
