Robert Macaire is the name of a historical character as well as the title (or part of the title) of a number of plays, films and books based on the tale.

Robert Macaire, the historical character

In French culture "Robert Macaire" represents the archetypal villain, an unscrupulous swindler, who appears in a number of French plays, films, and other works of art.

The various dramatized and literary versions of the story of "Robert Macaire" are mostly based on a legend from the 14th century, as recorded in a letter from Julius Caesar Scaliger, who tells of a French courtier who was murdered in the forest of Bondy, north of Paris. The only witness to the murder was his dog, which pursued Robert Macaire, the perpetrator, until he was captured. The king ordered that Macaire, armed with a stick, and the dog should fight a duel, which took place on the Isle de Notre Dame, and the dog won, forcing Macaire to confess and be hanged. (See Tamsin Pickeral, 2012: p.134).

The fictional character "Robert Macaire", was first used on stage in the melodrama L'Auberge des Adrets by Benjamin Antier (1787–1870), which opened at the Théâtre de l'Ambigu-Comique, Paris, on 12 July 1823. In the play the character was portrayed as a ragged tramp and common thief and played seriously in that fashion on the opening night. The premiere evening was a total failure, so the work was changed on the second night to become a burlesque, with Frédérick Lemaitre (1800-1876)[1], the actor playing Macaire, transforming him into a comic figure instead, portraying him as a dapper confidence man and financial schemer, and using the character to lampoon financial speculation and government corruption.

The piece now was an immediate a comic success and ran for a hundred performances. However, for many in Parisian society the transformation of the character violated all the conventions of its genre and contravened social standards that demanded crime be treated with seriousness and expected criminals to be punished appropriately. The play was thus soon banned, and representations of the character of Macaire were banned time and again until the 1880s.

Lemaître used the character again in a sequel he co-authored titled Robert Macaire, first presented in 1835.

For more on the character, various versions of the story and the theme in literature, see the entry on "The Dog of Montarges" in Wikipedia [2]

Dramatised versions of the tale

The basic tale has been used as source material, translated and adapted into various languages over the course of the 19th and 20th centuries. English versions by various authors, are broadly found under two main titles:

Those using the phrases The Dog of Montargis (or The Dog of Montarges), and/or The Forest of Bondy, on the one hand; and - particularly after the 1830s- those using the title Robert Macaire on the other.

For plays using the phrases The Dog of Montargis (or The Dog of Montarges) and/or The Forest of Bondy in their titles, see the entry on Le Chien de Montargis, ou la Forêt de Bondy.

For plays using Robert Macaire in their titles, see below:

Robert Macaire (1834) by Robert Antier and Frédérick Lemaître

Robert Macaire is a French burlesque drama in 4 acts and six scenes by Benjamin Antier (1787-1870)[3], Saint-Amand (1797-1885)[4] and Frédérick Lemaître, (1800-1876)[5]

Also known as Robert-Macaire.

The original text

First performed at the Folies-Dramatiques on 14 June 1834. It was written as a follow-up piece to the L'Auberge des Adrets (1823) by the same authors, which first introduced their version of the character "Robert Macaire".

Translations and adaptations

Robert Macaire, or The Two Murderers of Lyons (1842)

The original 1834 French text was translated and adapted into English as Robert Macaire, or The Two Murderers of Lyons by Charles Selby Published 1842.

Robert Macaire, or The Roadside Inn Turned Inside Out (1870)

The original 1834 French text was translated and adapted into English as Robert Macaire, or The Roadside Inn Turned Inside Out, a burlesque extravaganza, by Henry James Byron (1835-1884)[6]. Also known as Robert Macaire, it was first performed in English in the Royal Globe Theatre, London, on 16 April, 1870. The English text published by Thomas Hailes Lacy, 1872 ([Lacy's Acting Edition of Plays. vol. 93.)

Robert-Macaire (1889)

The French play was later also adapted as Robert-Macaire by Philippe Gille (1831-1901) and William Busnach (1832-1907) and performed in the new version on 1 March, 1889 at the Théâtre Porte Saint-Martin and published by Tresse et Stock (Paris).

Performance history in South Africa

1862. Produced in English in Selby's version (Robert Macaire or The Two Murderers of Lyons) in the Eastern Cape village of Keiskama Hoek's Garrison Theatre by the Band Amateurs (North Lincolnshire Regiment of Foot) on June 19 by the Band Amateurs featuring T. Smith (Germeuil, a wealthy farmer), T. Paterson (Dument, an inn-keeper), W. Dansie (Robert Macaire, under the assumed name of Bertrand), J. M'Kechnie (Jacques Strop), F. Girton (Charles), J. F. Gay (Pierre, head waiter), J. Mann (Sergeant Loupy), J. Grimley (Louis), B. Sheeran (Francoise), J. Davies (Marie), J. Durney (Clementine). Also produced was George Wood's one-act farce, The Irish Doctor, or The Dumb Lady Cured from Moliere's Le Médecin Malgré Lui

1875. Produced in English in Byron's version (Robert Macaire, or The Roadside Inn Turned Inside Out) by Disney Roebuck in the Bijou Theatre on 16 September, with Arrah-na-Pogue, or The Wicklow Wedding (Boucicault). The evening a farewell benefit for Mr Paulton and Mrs Paulton.

1876: Performed as Robert Macaire on 12 May in the Athenaeum Hall, Cape Town, by the Disney Roebuck company, with Ici on Parle Français (Robins) as afterpiece.

1877: Performed in English as Robert Macaire, or The Roadside Inn Turned Inside Out in the Theatre Royal, Cape Town on 28 September by the Disney Roebuck company, with the burlesque Aladdin, or The Wonderful Woman (?)