“A GOOD LITTLE DEVIL.”
“Children of an idle brain,
Begot of nothing but vain fantasy.”
“A Good Little Devil” is a fairy fantasy, written in French by Mme. Edmond Rostand (using the pen name of Rosamonde Gerard) and her son Maurice Rostand. It was adapted to the American Stage by Austin Strong, and Belasco produced it, for the first time in this country, December 10, 1912, at the Broad Street Theatre, Philadelphia: January 8, 1913, it was acted in New York, at the Republic Theatre. An immense amount of space, first and last, has been filled in the American newspaper press with sentimental rhapsody about such fabrications as “Peter Pan,” “The Blue Bird,” and “A Good Little Devil.” They are well enough in their way, but they possess nothing of authentic importance, whether literary, poetic, or dramatic, and the success gained by them is due solely to the interest of children and of those who enjoy the amusements of their children: “The sports of childhood satisfy the child.”
In “A Good Little Devil” experiences are depicted of a Scotch orphan, a lad named Charles MacLance, who is abused by his aunt, a witch, Mrs. MacMiche; comforted and befriended by fairies; loved by a little blind girl named Juliet, from whom he is separated; saved from evil beings (Old Nick, Sr., and Old Nick, Jr.); and raised to high social rank, where he forgets the comrades of his boyhood and is about to wed unworthily, when he returns to the home of his aunt. There he is visited by the spirit of his youth; his better nature and his memory of olden times and friends are awakened, and he returns to the arms of his early love—whose sight has been restored by the fairies—declaring his intention to live the life of the affections.
The stage accoutrement in which Belasco presented this fabric of whimsical extravagance was so beautiful, so full of the poetic feeling and allurement conspicuously absent from the piece itself, that it gained and for some time held, and deserved to hold, popular favor: it was played at the Republic Theatre until May 3, 1913,—152 consecutive performances being given.
“A Good Little Devil” was presented with the following cast:
| A Poet | Ernest Lawford. |
| Betsy | Iva Merlin. |
| Mrs. MacMiche | William Norris. |
| Charles MacLance, a Good Little Devil | Ernest Truex. |
| Old Nick, Sr. | Edward Connelly. |
| Old Nick, Jr. | Etienne Girardot. |
| Juliet | Mary Pickford. |
| Marian | Laura Grant. |
| Queen Mab | Wilda Bennett. |
| Viviane | Edna Griffin. |
| Morganie | Lillian Gish. |
| Titania | Claire Burke. |
| Dewbright | Reggie Wallace. |
| Thought-From-Afar | Georgia Mae Fursman. |
| Jock | Louis Esposit. |
| Wally | Gerard Gardner. |
| Mac | Adrian Morgan. |
| Tam | Jerome Fernandez. |
| Sandy | Edward Dolly. |
| Allan | Norman Taurog. |
| Neil | Harold Meyer. |
| Jamie | Carlton Riggs. |
| Davie | David Ross. |
| Robert | Roland Wallace. |
| John | Charles Castner. |
| Angus | Lauren Pullman. |
| Huggermunk | Pat Walshe. |
| Muggerhunk | Sam Goldstein. |
| The Solicitor from London | Dennis Cleugh. |
| The Doctor from Inverary | Joseph A. Wilkes. |
| The Lawyer from Oban | Robert Vivian. |
| Rab, the dog | Arthur Hill. |
“THE SECRET.”
“A secret and villanous contriver.”
“When I produced ‘The Secret,’” writes Belasco, in a biographical note made for me, “I was told by most of the writers for the [news]papers, and by many friends, that the principal character in it, Gabrielle, is untrue to life—is impossible! Well, all I have to say is:—It is not impossible. She is very exceptional, no doubt, and morbid; but she is true to life and I know it, because I have seen and known and had to deal with exactly such women as Gabrielle. They are unpleasant, of course,—but they are real, a part of the Comedy of Human Life that I have aimed to show in the Theatre, and that is the reason I produced ‘The Secret,’ notwithstanding much advice against it. I did not expect financial success.”