 The play premiered with Adrienne Lecouvreur as Mariamne, Baron as Hérode and Duclos as Salome, but it was withdrawn after just one performance when the audience gave it a critical reception.This failure encouraged Augustin Nadal to produce his "Mariamne" in February 1725, but that was also hostilely received, with calls for the return of Voltaire's version of the story.Nadal accused Voltaire of ensuring Nadal's play's failure by filling the audience with his supporters, and this led to a bitter war of words between them.