Lost, Strayed or Stolen is a musical comedy in four acts with music by Woolson Morse and words by J. Cheever Goodwin, adapted from the French farce Le baptême du petit Oscar by Eugène Grangé and Victor Bernard. The story concerns a missing child and its nursemaid, three competing potential godfathers and an opera diva. It was produced at the Fifth Avenue Theatre in New York City on September 16, 1896, and ran with success. It was directed by Ben Teal, the musical director was John McGhie and dances in act 4 were arranged by Rose Becket. The show was made into a 1908 film of the same name.
Background
One of the first shows created for the Theatrical Syndicate, it had its premiere in Chicago, Illinois on June 15, 1896. Jennie Goldthwaite was originally scheduled to play the female lead, Rose D'Ete, but she became indisposed and was relieved by Georgia Caine, who had been assigned the role of the nursemaid. After Caine replaced Goldthwaite, Florence Thornton was hired to play the nursemaid. Subsequent to its New York run, the musical toured, opening at the Boston Theatre, on April 12, 1897. It eventually returned to New York at the Harlem Opera House in December 1897. It also played in London, at the Duke of York's Theatre in 1897, featuring Decima Moore, with dances by John D'Auban.
The musical opens with the christening of a baby boy, son of Bidart, a Parisian florist. He has invited a relative to be the godfather. Unknown to him, his wife and mother-in-law have also invited people to be the godfather. To further complicate matters, the child's nurse, while strolling in the park with the baby, was speaking to an admirer while a policeman took the child away, and now returns tearfully revealing the child is missing. The act ends with all going to search for the child.
Act 2, in the 22nd barracks at Pepinière
Since the nursemaid was speaking to a policeman, Bidart and company have arrived at the barracks of the 22nd Regiment. Circumstances force Bidart and his party to wear uniforms, where they are mistaken for undisciplined members of the regiment. Unseen, one of the policemen returns the baby to the nursemaid and they depart. This occurs before Bidart and party realize, and they continue their search. Meanwhile, one of the potential godfathers drops out.
The nursemaid is the employee of Rose d'Ete, a famous Parision opera bouffeprima donna, who supposedly now has the child. When Bidart and his party enter to search for the baby, their identities are confused with those of Rose d'Ete's paramour; when the paramour arrives they pretend they are workmen. They finally learn that the baby has been taken back to the park where he was originally lost. The second of the potential godfathers drops out.
Act 4, in a corner of the gardens of the Luxembourg
The child has been traced to the gardens of Luxembourg. While Bidart searches, the remaining potential godfather gets into trouble by claiming and endeavoring to kidnap a baby and pretend it is the missing one. The climax occurs at the entrance of the christening procession: to the surprise of the three potential godfathers, the baby has been found and christened in their absence.
A review in The Illustrated American commented: "Cheever Goodwin, clever at adaptation, at times a most dexterous manipulator in stagecraft, has been singularly successful in this latest venture. Starting of a delightfully humorous set of complications, woven logically together, he has made an honest translation and obtained a genuinely absurd farce which he carries through four acts, sustaining the interest to the end."
