character Pétillon as "one of those original characters which any author might be proud to have called into being". Revivals and adaptations The play was revived at the Théâtre du Palais-Royal in 1892, with Saint-Germain reprising his role of Pétillon. In 1898 Bébé was produced at the Théâtre Montparnasse in i1898. Other revivals in the twenty years after the premiere included productions at the Théâtre du Vaudeville and the Théâtre de Cluny. For Les Annales du théâtre et de la musique the scene in which Pétillon sings extracts from the legal code remained "surely one of the most hilarious inventions that can be seen. So, once again we had a lot of fun". In the US, Baby, by Thomas B. Macdonough, opened on Broadway in July 1877, starring W. J. Le Moyne as the tutor. The New York Times found the play amusing, but suspected that "the process of adaptation, while it may have brought much of the language of the original within the bounds of propriety, has weakened both the characters and the dialogue". A German version was premiered in Vienna in early 1878. The Vienna correspondent of The Theatre reported that the play "was very favourably received by an audience who seemed to feel no moral scruples, but to enjoy the piece thoroughly". The first attempt to produce a version for the London stage was banned by the official censor, the Lord Chamberlain. A second version, by F. C. Burnand, with the title Betsy was licensed and opened at the Criterion Theatre in August 1879. Lottie Venne played the title role, Lytton Sothern the son of the family and Alfred Maltby the tutor. The reviewers in The Era and The Times both felt that some of the fun of the original French version had been lost along with the discarded risqué elements, but the piece ran exceptionally well, achieving 404 performances. Notes, references and sources Notes References Sources French plays 1877 plays Comedy plays