Rescued

“Rescued” opened on 4 September 1879 at the newly renovated Booth’s Theatre in New York City, and Boucicault was confident that he had written one of the best plays in his storied career. To his shock, critics lambasted the work and the refurbished venue. These criticisms helped ensure the play ended its run at Booth’s within a month, and the losses incurred by Boucicault were listed at $25,000.

Boucicault was so sure of the success of “Rescued” that he had arranged an opening in London at the same time as it played in New York: it premiered at the Adelphi on 30 September 1879. The critics and audiences were no kinder to the play in England, however. The failure of “Rescued” on both sides of the Atlantic solidified the notion that audiences were outgrowing Boucicault’s now tired formulation of sensational scenes and hackneyed villains.

The Dion Boucicault Theatre Collection contains two versions of “Rescued,” both digitized and available here. “Version One” is lighter on dialogue and exposition and has the villains arrested at the end with the lovers given a moment to swoon. “Version Two,” on the other hand, is much wordier and has the main villain kill his accomplice before jumping into an abyss to abruptly end the play. Whichever form was staged—whether in New York or London—did not matter: “Rescued” was a financial and critical disaster.