The directory «Plots»

Belasco David
(1853–1931)

David Belasco was an American playwright, impresario, director and theatrical producer.

Born in San Francisco, California, where his Sephardic Jewish parents had moved from London, England during the Gold Rush, he began working in a San Francisco theatre doing a variety of routine jobs such as call boy and script copier. He eventually was given the opportunity to act and serve as a stage manager, learning the business inside out. A gifted playwright, Belasco went to New York City in 1882 where he worked as stage manager for the Madison Square Theater while writing plays. By 1895, he was so successful that he set himself up as an independent producer.

During his long career between 1884 and 1930, Belasco either wrote, directed, or produced more than 100 Broadway plays including Hearts of Oak, The Heart of Maryland, and Du Barry, making him the most powerful personality on the New York city theater scene. Although he is perhaps most famous for having penned Madame Butterfly and The Girl of the Golden West for the stage, both of which were adapted as operas by Giacomo Puccini, more than forty motion pictures have been made from the many plays he authored, including Buster Keaton's Seven Chances.

Belasco was informally known in the theatrical community as "the Bishop of Broadway," due to his penchant for dressing in black clothing which made him resemble a priest. He was also rumored to have used, or even originated, the casting couch.

Many prominent performers of the late 1800s and early 1900s sought the opportunity to work with Belasco; among them was a young Mary Pickford. Pickford appeared in his plays The Warrens of Virginia at the first Belasco Theatre in 1907 and A Good Little Devil in 1913. The two remained in touch after Pickford began working in Hollywood; Belasco appeared with her in the 1914 film adaptation of A Good Little Devil. He is also credited as giving Pickford her stage name.

David Belasco was married to Cecilia Loverich for over fifty years; they had two daughters, Reina and Augusta. He died in 1931 at the age of 77 in New York City and was interred in the Linden Hills Cemetery in Queens, New York.

Belasco is recognized for bringing a new standard of naturalism to the American stage. Supposedly he put appropriate scents to set scenes in the ventilation of the theaters, while his sets paid great attention to detail, and sometimes spilled out into the audience area. In one play, for instance, an operational laundromat was built onstage. In another, there was a reproduction of a Childs Restaurant kitchen where actors actually cooked and prepared food during the play. He is even said to have purchased a room in a flop-house, cut it out of the building, brought it to his theater, cut out one wall and presented it as the set for a production. Belasco's original scripts were often filled with long, specific descriptions of props and set dressings. Interestingly, though, he has not been noted for producing unusually naturalistic scenarios.

Belasco was further known for his advanced lighting techniques and use of color to evoke mood and setting. He was one of the first directors to eschew the use of footlights in favor of follow spots and realistic lighting. Often, Belasco tailored his lighting configurations to compliment the complexions and hair of the actors. In his own theatres, the dressing rooms were equipped with lamps of several colors, allowing the performers to see how their makeup looked under different lighting conditions.

Belasco also embraced existing theatre technology and sought to expand on it. Both of Belasco's New York theatres were built on the cutting edge of their era's technology. When Belasco took over the Republic Theatre he drilled a new basement level to accommodate his machinery; the Stuyvesant Theatre was specially constructed with enormous amounts of flyspace, hydraulics systems and lighting rigs. The basement of the Stuyvesant contained a working machine shop, where Belasco and his team experimented with lighting and other special effects. Many of the innovations developed in the Belasco shop were sold to other producers.

Italy, 1974, Puccini, m-me Butterfly

Italy, 2004, Puccini, m-me Butterfly

Moldova, 1994, Maria Chibotari as M-m Batterfly

Moldova, 2007, Maria Biesu as M-m Batterfly

Moldova, 2012, Maria Biesu as M-m Batterfly

Monaco, 1983, Puccini, «Madame Butterfly»

Niger, 1998, Madame Butterfly

Ras al-Khaima, 1969, Madam Butterfly

San-Marino, 2008, La Boheme, Madame Butterfly

Sao Tome e Principe, 2008, Puccini and his operas

Sao Tome e Principe, 2008, Puccini and his operas

Moldova, 2002.04.03, Chisinau. Maria Biesu as M-m Batterfly

San-Marino, 2008.11.15, San Marino. Madame Butterfly

Moldova, 2002, Maria Biesu as M-m Batterfly

Moldova, 2007, M-m Batterfly