Volume 1 — BELASCO’S REPERTORY AS AN ACTOR.

A complete list of the characters that Belasco assumed, while he remained an actor, is not obtainable, but the subjoined partial list, which I have carefully made by consulting newspaper advertisements and other sources of authentic information, is sufficiently suggestive of his ample experience in the vocation of acting. The student of his career should needfully bear in mind, moreover, that he has, first and last, set on the stage every one of the plays here named (and many others), besides acting in them:

Photograph by Falk. The Albert Davis Collection.

BELASCO, ABOUT 1880

DAVID BELASCO AS FAGIN, IN “OLIVER TWIST”

Photograph by Bradley & Rulofson, San Francisco. Original loaned by Mrs. David Belasco.

PART. PLAY.

(A)

Alfred Evelyn“Money.”

Antonio“The Merchant of Venice.”

Apothecary“Romeo and Juliet.”

Archibald Carlyle“East Lynne.”

Armand Duval“Camille.”

Avica, the Spirit of Avarice“A Storm of Thoughts.”

(B)

Baldwin“Ireland and America.”

Benvolio“Romeo and Juliet.”

Bernardo“Hamlet.”

Biondello“Katharine and Petruchio.”

Black Donald“The Hidden Hand.”

Bleeding Sergeant“Macbeth.”

Bloater“Maum Cre.”

Bob“The Black Hand.”

Bob Brierly“The Ticket-of-Leave Man.”

Bob Rackett“Help.”

Box“Box and Cox.”

Buddicombe“Our American Cousin.”

Butler“Man and Wife.”

(C)

Captain Blenham“The Rough Diamond.”

Captain Crosstree“Black-Ey’d Susan.”

Charles Oakley“The Jealous Wife.”

Château-Renaud“The Corsican Brothers.”

Claude Melnotte“The Lady of Lyons.”

Clifford“The Hunchback.”

Colonel Dent“The Governess.”

Conner O’Kennedy“Green Bushes.”

Cool“London Assurance.”

Cox“Box and Cox.”

Craven Lenoir“The Hidden Hand.”

(D)

Dan“The Streets of New York.”

Danny Mann“The Colleen Bawn.”

Darley“Dark Deeds.”

Dauphin“King Louis XI.”

De Mauprat“Richelieu.”

DeWilt“Under the Gas-Light.”

Dickory“The Spectre Bridegroom.”

Doctor of Hospital“The Two Orphans.”

Dolly Spanker“London Assurance.”

Don Cæsar“Donna Diana.”

Duke of Burgundy“King Lear.”

(E)

Earl of Oxford“King Richard III.”

(F)

Fagin“Oliver Twist.”

First Citizen“Julius Cæsar.”

First Dwarf“Rip Van Winkle.”

First Fury“Pluto.”

First Grave-Digger“Hamlet.”

First Officer“Macbeth.”

First Policeman“Little Don Giovanni.”

Fournechet, Minister of Finance“A Life’s Revenge.”

Francesco“Hamlet.”

Frank Breezly“Katy.”

Friar Lawrence“Romeo and Juliet.”

Furnace, the Cook“A New Way to Pay Old Debts.”

(G)

Galeas“The Enchantress.”

Gaspard“The Lady of Lyons.”

Gaston“Camille.”

Genius of the Ring“The Wonderful Scamp, or Aladdin No. 2.”

George Sheldon“Uncle Tom’s Cabin.”

Gilbert Gates“The Dawn of Freedom.”

Gringoire“The Ballad Monger.”

Guildenstern“Hamlet.”

Gyp“Saratoga.”

(H)

Hamlet“Hamlet.”

Harvey“Out at Sea.”

Heinrich Vedder“Rip Van Winkle.”

Hon. Bob Penley“Fritz in a Madhouse.”

(I)

Idiot, the“The Idiot of the Mountain.”

(J)

James Callin“Across the Continent.” (Prologue.)

Jasper Pidgeon“Meg’s Diversion.”

Job Armroyd“Lost in London.”

John O’Bibs“The Long Strike.”

Johnson“The Lancashire Lass.”

Joseph Surface“The School for Scandal.”

(K)

King Louis the Eleventh“King Louis XI.”

(L)

Laertes“Hamlet.”

Lawyer Marks“Uncle Tom’s Cabin.”

Lawyer Tripper“Solon Shingle” (“The People’s Lawyer.”)

Lieutenant“Don Cæsar de Bazan.”

Lieutenant Victor“The Lion of Nubia.”

Le Beau“As You Like It.”

Lorenzo“The Wife.”

Louis“One Hundred Years Old.”

(M)

Maffeo Orsini“Lucretia Borgia.”

Major Hershner“Twice Saved.”

Malcolm“Macbeth.”

Mandeville“The Young Widow.”

Marc Antony“Julius Cæsar.”

Marco“The Wife.”

Mark“The Prodigal’s Return.”

Mark Meddle“London Assurance.”

Marquis“The Pearl of Savoy.”

Master Walter“The Hunchback.”

Mateo, the Landlord“The Beauty and the Brigands.”

Melter Moss“The Ticket-of-Leave Man.”

Mercutio“Romeo and Juliet.”

Mr. Ellingham“Hearts of Oak.”

Mr. Honeyton“A Happy Pair.”

Mr. Trimeo“The Mysterious Inn.”

Mr. Toodle“The Toodles.”

Mrs. Cornelia“East Lynne.”

Mrs. Willoughby“The Ticket-of-Leave Man.”

Modus“The Hunchback.”

Mons. Deschapelles“The Lady of Lyons.”

Moses“The School for Scandal.”

Mother Frochard“The Two Orphans.”

(N)

Nathan“Leah the Forsaken.”

Nick o’ the Woods (the Jibbenainosay, The Avenger, Reginald Ashburn, Bloody Nathan, and The Spirit of The Water)“The Jibbenainosay.”

Nick Vedder“Rip Van Winkle.”

Nurse“Romeo and Juliet.”

(O)

Our Guest“Our Mysterious Boarding House.”

(P)

Pablo, the Harpist“Across the Continent.”

Page“Mary Stuart.”

Paris“Romeo and Juliet.”

Pedro“A Yankee in Cuba.”

Peter“Deborah.”

Peter Bowbells“The Illustrious Stranger.”

Peter True“The Statue Lover.”

Peter White“Mr. and Mrs. Peter White.”

Phil Bouncer“The Persecuted Traveller.”

Philip Ray“Enoch Arden.”

Pierre“Robert Macaire.”

Pietre“The Enchantress.” (Prologue.)

Player Queen“Hamlet.”

Polonius“Hamlet.”

Polydor“Ingomar.”

Prince Saucilita“The Gold Demon.”

Pumpernickel“The Child of the Regiment.”

(Q)

Queen Gertrude“Hamlet.”

(R)

Ralph“The Lighthouse Cliff.”

Raphael (and Phidias) “The Marble Heart.”

Ratcliff“King Richard III.”

Reuben“Schermerhorn’s Boy.”

Richard Hare“East Lynne.”

Richmond“King Richard III.”

Robert Landry“The Dead Heart.”

Robert Macaire“Robert Macaire.”

Rory O’More“Rory O’More.”

Rosencrantz“Hamlet.”

Ruby Darrell“Hearts of Oak.”

Rudolph“Leah the Forsaken.”

Rudolphe“Agnes.”

(S)

Salanio“The Merchant of Venice.”

Sambo“Uncle Tom’s Cabin.”

Santo“Gaspardo.”

Secretary“Richelieu.”

Second Player“Hamlet.”

Selim“The Forty Thieves.”

Signor Mateo“The Miser’s Daughter.”

Simon Lullaby“A Conjugal Lesson.”

Simon Legree“Uncle Tom’s Cabin.”

Simon, the Cobbler“Marie Antoinette.”

Sir Francis Leveson“East Lynne.”

Slave“Pygmalion and Galatea.”

Spada“The Woman in Red.”

Stuttering Tailor“Katharine and Petruchio.”

Strale“Checkmate.”

Sylvius“As You Like It.”

(T)

Terry Dennison“Hearts of Oak.”

The Destroyer“The Haunted Man.”

Tim Bolus“My Turn Next.”

Timothy Tubbs“The Millionaire’s Daughter.”

Tony Lumpkin“She Stoops to Conquer.”

Topsy“Uncle Tom’s Cabin.”

Trip“The School for Scandal.”

Tubal“The Merchant of Venice.”

(U)

Uncle Tom“Uncle Tom’s Cabin.”

(V)

Valentine“Faust.” (Abridgment of).

Vasquez“The Wonder.”

(W)

Waiter“The Gamester.”

Waiter (Negro) “Fritz in a Madhouse.”

(Y)

Young Marlowe“She Stoops to Conquer.”

Other plays in which Belasco has performed,—as I have ascertained from newspaper advertisements or notices and from miscellaneous records, without, however, finding specification of the parts in them which he acted,—include “A Bull in a China Shop,” “Damon and Pythias,” “The French Spy,” “A Hard Struggle,” “The Lone Pine,” “Mazeppa,” “Medea,” “Mimi,” “Nobody’s Child,” “Pizarro,” and “The Red Pocketbook.” I have no doubt that he made unrecorded and now unremembered appearances in many other plays besides these.

To the catalogue previously given of readings and recitations frequently employed by Belasco should be added “Tell Me Not in Mournful Numbers,” “The Maiden’s Prayer,” “Little Jim, the Collier’s Lad,” “Scenes from ’King Louis XI.,’” “Shamus O’Brien,” “The Little Hero,” “No One to Love Him,” “The Trial Scene, from ’The Merchant of Venice,’” “Selections from ’Oliver Twist’” (the scene on London Bridge, scene wherein Fagin causes Sikes to murder Nancy, and Fagin awaiting execution), “The Country Bumpkin’s Courtship,” “Eliza,” “The Dream of Eugene Aram,” and “Jim Bludso.”