The Vampyre: Its Adaptations

The title page of Lord Ruthven, ou Les Vampires by Cyperian Berard. This was an unauthorized French sequel to Polidori's The Vampyre.

Polidori's "The Vampyre" was an immediate success spawning many adaptations in print and dramatic form. One of the first was an "unauthorized" (or plagiarized) sequel/adaptation in French titled Lord Ruthven ou les vampires (Lord Ruthven or the Vampires) by Cyperian Bérard in 1820. This work was initially attributed to the author Charles Nodier, because Nodier himself also adapted Polidori's story into a play titled Le Vampire. Le Vampire is significant for being the first stage portrayal of a vampire. Nodier's play is also important because it changes the setting from Greece to Scotland. Nodier's play was so successful that it was later adapted in English by John Planché as well as in German by Heinrich Ludwig Ritter in 1821 as Der Vampir oder die Totenbraut. Ritter’s play was later adapted into an opera by Heinrich Marschner, Der Vampyr, in 1828.

A copy of The Vampire, or The Bride of the Isles, J.R. Planche. This is the theaterical adaptation of Polidor's short story.

Advertistement for The Vampire, or The Bride of the Isles dated 1850

Dion Boucicault as Sir Alan Raby in The Vampire by Edward Henry Corbould (1852)

Planché's stage adaptation was very popular and was staged for many years. The play is also notable for its innovative use of practical stage effects. For the beginning sequence where Lord Ruthven appears in a dream and the conclusion where he is swallowed by the earth, Planché invented what is called the vampire trap, which consists of two spring leaves that parted under pressure and immediately reclosed. This was to give the impression that the vampire passed through solid matter. Planché's play was not the only theatrical vampire on the stage. Irish actor/ manage/ playwright Dion Boucicault (1820-1880) wrote and starred in The Vampire (1852) as Sir Alan Raby, the title vampire. The play received mixed reviews. Queen Victoria, who saw the play, described it as "very trashy" in her diary. However, it was popular enough to receive an American tour, although in its American incarnation the title was changed to The Phantom. There may be several reasons for this change, including that vampire were still relatively unknown in the U.S. at the time but that would change soon. 

Concert Poster for 1828 performance of Der Vampyr

Heinrich Marschner's Der Vampyr premiered in Leipzig and was an immediate success. It is still performed to this day. In adapting Polidori's story, and incorporating the later theatrical adaptations in his opera as well, Marschner continued to change some elements of the story. There is a Vampire Master who Ruthven must appease with a virgin sacrifice (in fact, three virgin sacrifices). In addition, Ruthven now is attempting to marry not Aubrey's sister but his beloved, Malwina. Malwina has not been seduced by Ruthven but is being forced to marry him by her father, Sir Humphrey Davenaut. The opera ends not with Aubry's death but with the defeat of Ruthven and the marriage of Aubry and Malwina. Another notable change in the opera is that it is now set not in Greece or Scotland but Wallachia. It should be noted that in the 15th century Wallachia was the region of Romania that was ruled by one Vlad III, also known as Vlad Dracula.