Christine (musical)

Last updated
Christine
Christine Playbill.jpg
Christine Playbill
Music Sammy Fain
Lyrics Paul Francis Webster
Book Pearl S. Buck; Charles K. Peck Jr.
SettingIndia
Basis"My Indian Family" by Hilda Wernher
PremiereApril 28, 1960: 46th Street Theatre
Productions1960 Broadway

Christine is a musical by Pearl S. Buck and Charles K. Peck Jr. (book), Paul Francis Webster (lyrics) and Sammy Fain (music). [1] Loosely based on the 1945 novel My Indian Family by Hilda Wernher, it tells the story of a woman who travels to India where she ends up falling in love with her recently widowed Indian son-in-law. [2] Notable for the involvement of Pulitzer and Nobel prize-winning author Pearl S. Buck, the musical premiered on Broadway in 1960.

Contents

History

Pearl S. Buck first adapted Hilda Werhner's book My Indian Family for a 1945 stage production at Stanford University. [3] While this production did not move beyond Stanford, it was notable for featuring Jack Palance in his first acting role. [4] Oscar Lerman and Martin B. Cohen later tapped Buck for a musical stage adaptation which they hoped to present during the 1957–1958 Broadway season. [3] Rewrites on the libretto took much longer than expected, with a "final" version not being ready until 1959. [5]

Synopsis

The musical is based on the book My Indian Family, which tells the story of an Austrian woman who travels to India to spend time with her daughter and her Indian son-in-law. While in India, the daughter dies and the mother-in-law steps in to help the widowed husband find a new bride. [6] The musical follows some of the broad strokes of the book, but with significant changes including a love story between the mother-in-law (Christine) and the widowed son-in-law.

Act I

Christine arrives in India to visit her daughter Mary-Anne, and her daughter's husband, Dr Rashil Singh ("Welcome Song/My Indian Family"). She discovers though that her daughter has died in childbirth, along with the child, her widowed doctor husband racked with sorrow and guilt over not being able to save her life ("A Doctor's Soliloquy").

Aided by Dr Singh's Auntie and Uncle, Christine takes on the mother's duty to find a new wife for her son-in-law ("How to Pick a Man a Wife" and "The Lovely Girls of Akbarabad"), but instead finds herself falling in love with him ("Room in My Heart"). As Act I ends, Christine and the Doctor sing of their love for each other ("I Never Meant to Fall in Love").

Act II

Act II opens on explorations of the perceived cultural peculiarities of India ("Freedom Can Be a Most Uncomfortable Thing" and "Ireland Was Never Like This"), before exploring the unrequited love a local girl, Sita Roy, has for Dr. Singh ("He Loves Her"). Sita works in the doctor's clinic and notes that the locals have stopped coming to the doctor's dispensary, due to Christine's presence, so Sita implores Christine to leave. Christine tells the doctor of her discomfort with the situation, but he asks her to marry him and she agrees ("Christine").

As the ceremony is prepared in which Christine is to reveal the wife she has chosen for Dr. Singh, she decides that she cannot stay after all ("I Love Him"). At the ceremony, she shocks everyone by choosing Sita Roy to be his bride. She tells Dr. Singh she must return to Ireland ("The Woman I Was Before"), which she does, slipping away while Sita and Dr. Singh's wedding is taking place. [7]

Production

Following its out of town tryout at the Erlanger Theatre, it opened on Broadway at the 46th Street Theatre on April 28, 1960 and closed on May 8, 1960, after 12 performances. The show was directed by Jerome Chodorov, with set and lighting design by Jo Mielziner, costumes by Alvin Colt, choreography by Hanya Holm, and dance and vocal arrangements by Trude Rittmann.

The cast featured Maureen O'Hara (Lady Christine FitzSimons), [8] Nancy Andrews (Auntie), Laurie Archer (Amora), Bhaskar (Rainath), Steve Curry (Krishna), Leslye Hunter (Jaya), Daniel Keyes (Dr.MacGowan), Phil Leeds (Uncle), Morley Meredith (Dr. Rashil Singh), Jonathan Morris (Mohan Roy), Janet Pavek (Sita Roy), Augie Rios (Rajendra), and Barbara Webb (The Matchmaker).

Song list

Sources: Internet Broadway Database; [9] AllMusic [10]

Recordings

Christine: Original Broadway Cast was released in 1960 on Columbia Masterworks Records, [11] then re-released in 2002 on compact disc by DRG Records. [12]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peggy Cass</span> American actress, comedian, game show panelist, and announcer

Mary Margaret "Peggy" Cass was an American actress, comedian, game show panelist, and announcer.

<i>Mame</i> (musical) Musical

Mame is a musical with a book by Jerome Lawrence and Robert Edwin Lee and music and lyrics by Jerry Herman. Originally titled My Best Girl, it is based on the 1955 novel Auntie Mame by Patrick Dennis and the 1956 Broadway play of the same name by Lawrence and Lee. A period piece set in New York City and spanning the Great Depression and World War II, it focuses on eccentric bohemian Mame Dennis, whose famous motto is "Life is a banquet and most poor sons of bitches are starving to death." Her fabulous life with her wealthy friends is interrupted when the young son of her late brother arrives to live with her. They cope with the Depression in a series of adventures.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christine Daaé</span> Fictional character

Christine Daaé is a fictional character and the female protagonist of Gaston Leroux's 1910 novel The Phantom of the Opera and of the various adaptations of the work. Erik, the Phantom of the Opera and Viscount Raoul de Chagny both fall in love with her.

<i>The Secret Garden</i> (musical) 1991 Broadway musical

The Secret Garden is a musical based on the 1911 novel of the same name by Frances Hodgson Burnett. The musical's script and lyrics are by Marsha Norman, with music by Lucy Simon. It premiered on Broadway in 1991 and ran for 709 performances.

<i>The Light in the Piazza</i> (musical) 2005 musical by Adam Guettel and Craig Lucas

The Light in the Piazza is a musical with music and lyrics by Adam Guettel, and a book by Craig Lucas.

<i>Dil Apna Aur Preet Parai</i> 1960 Indian film

Dil Apna Aur Preet Parai is a 1960 Indian Hindi-language romantic drama film, produced by S. A. Bagar. It was written and directed by Kishore Sahu. The film stars Raaj Kumar, Meena Kumari and Nadira as leads. The film tells the story of a surgeon who is obligated to marry the daughter of a family friend, while he is in love with a colleague nurse, played by Meena Kumari. It is one of the noted acting performances of lead actress Meena Kumari's career.

<i>Maang Bharo Sajana</i> 1980 Indian film

Maang Bharo Sajana is a 1980 Indian Hindi-language drama film, directed by T. Rama Rao, who also wrote the screenplay. The film stars Jeetendra, Rekha, Moushumi Chatterjee, Kajal Kiran and music composed by Laxmikant–Pyarelal. The film is a remake of the Telugu film Karthika Deepam (1979). This was one of the four films T. Rama Rao directed with Jeetendra and Rekha that explored married relationships. The film did well commercially. Rekha was applauded for her performance as the other woman.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tara (Ramayana)</span> Queen of Kishkindha and wife of the monkey (vanara) King Vali in Hindu epic Ramayana

In the Hindu epic Ramayana, Tara is the Queen of Kishkindha and the wife of the monkey (vanara) King Vali. After being widowed, she becomes the Queen of Sugriva, Vali's younger brother.

<i>Dill Mill Gayye</i> Indian youth medical drama

Dill Mill Gayye is an Indian medical drama television series that aired on Star One from 20 August 2007 to 29 October 2010. It was a sequel to the Star Plus series Sanjivani: A Medical Boon. The series is available digitally on Disney+ Hotstar.

Princess Sita Devi of Pithapuram was known as the "Indian Wallis Simpson". She was a member of the international jet set.

Portia Nelson was an American popular singer, songwriter, actress, and author. She was best known for her appearances in 1950s cabarets, where she sang soprano.

<i>Lanka</i> (2011 film) 2011 Indian film

Lanka is a 2011 Indian drama-thriller film directed by Maqbool Khan and produced by Vikram Bhatt under BVG Films associating ASA Production and Enterprises Pvt. Ltd.The film stars Manoj Bajpayee, Arjan Bajwa and Tia Bajpai in the lead roles. It was released on 20 October 2011.

<i>Yahan Main Ghar Ghar Kheli</i> Indian television series

Yahan Main Ghar Ghar Kheli, produced by Rajshri Productions, was an Indian dramatic serial that aired on Zee TV Monday to Friday evenings. It was well received, and stopped running on air in July 2012. It was aired on Apna TV in New Zealand and FBC TV in Fiji. Notable actors Zarina Wahab, Zahida Parveen, Alok Nath and Smita Jaykar acted in this serial as well. Lyricist Raghvendra Singh is the creative director in this serial.

Indrani Mukherjee is an Indian actress who worked in Hindi films during the 1960s and 1970s and starred in over 70 films. After playing the heroine in some films, notably Usne Kaha Tha (1960) and Aakhri Khat (1966), she moved to playing character roles which were central to the film and made this her forte. Her roles in films like Dharam Veer (1977), Parvarish (1977) and Des Pardes (1978) were the pivot of the storyline, but they were not conventional heroine roles. Each of the movies were a success at the box office.

<i>Jeeo Aur Jeene Do</i> 1982 Indian film

Jeeo Aur Jeene Do is a 1982 Hindi-language action film, produced by Ratan Mohan under the R.M. Art Productions banner and directed by Shyam Ralhan. It stars Jeetendra, Reena Roy, Nutan, Danny Denzongpa and Pran and music composed by Laxmikant-Pyarelal.

Ghar Ghar Ki Kahani is a 1988 Hindi-language drama film directed by Kalpataru. The film stars Rishi Kapoor, Jaya Prada, Govinda, Farah Naaz in lead roles. The film performed well on box office and declared hit. This film was a remake of Telugu film Santhi Nivasam.

<i>Siya Ke Ram</i> Indian mythological television series based on Ramayana

Siya Ke Ram is an Indian television series on Star Plus produced by Nikhil Sinha under the banner of Triangle Film Company. This show presents the epic Ramayana, the story of Rama and Devi Sita from Sita's perspective. The show features Madirakshi Mundle and Ashish Sharma playing as Goddess Sita and Lord Rama, respectively, and Karthik Jayaram as Raavan. It premiered on 16 November 2015 and ended on 4 November 2016.

<i>Sanjivani</i> (2019 TV series) Indian medical drama television series

Sanjivani is an Indian medical drama television series which aired from 12 August 2019 to 13 March 2020 on Star Plus. Produced by Alchemy Films, it starred Surbhi Chandna, Namit Khanna, Mohnish Bahl, Gurdeep Kohli and Gaurav Chopra. Sanjivani is a rebooted version of the 2002 series of the same name.

<i>Maddam Sir</i> 2020 Indian TV series

Maddam Sir is an Indian Hindi-language comedy action television series which aired from 24 February 2020 to 18 February 2023 on Sony SAB and digitally streamed on SonyLIV. Produced by Jay Mehta for Jay Productions, it stars Gulki Joshi, Yukti Kapoor, Priyanshu Singh, Sonali Naik and Bhavika Sharma.

<i>Imlie</i> Indian drama television series

Imlie is an Indian Hindi-language drama television series that aired from 16 November 2020 to 12 May 2024 on StarPlus and streams on Disney+ Hotstar. The show was produced by Gul Khan under 4 Lions Films. One of the longest running Indian television soap opera, the series starred Sumbul Touqeer, Gashmeer Mahajani, Mayuri Deshmukh, Fahmaan Khan for the first generation, Megha Chakraborty, Karan Vohra, Seerat Kapoor as the second generation, Adrija Roy and Sai Ketan Rao for the third and final generation.

References

  1. Conn, Peter; Conn, Peter J. (1998-01-28). Pearl S. Buck: A Cultural Biography . Cambridge University Press. p.  344. ISBN   9780521639897. pearl buck christine.
  2. Mordden, Ethan (2015-04-07). Open a New Window: The Broadway Musical in the 1960s. St. Martin's Press. ISBN   9781466893467.
  3. 1 2 Zolotow, Sam (4 August 1956). "Pearl Buck Doing Book for Musical". The New York Times. Retrieved 2 May 2020.
  4. Kelley, Marion (7 January 1951). "Jack Palance Scores as Prime Menace". Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved 2 May 2020.
  5. Gelb, Arthur (14 September 1959). "Pearl Buck Play Ready for Stage". The New York Times. Retrieved 2 May 2020.
  6. Mallet, Isabelle (26 Aug 1945). "Raschid's Mother-in-Law". New York Times. Retrieved 3 May 2020.
  7. "Christine". The Guide to Musical Theatre. Retrieved 3 May 2020.
  8. Mandelbaum, Ken (1992-08-15). Not Since Carrie: Forty Years of Broadway Musical Flops . St. Martin's Press. p.  89. ISBN   9781466843271. pearl buck christine.
  9. "'Christine' Songs". Internet Broadway Database, accessed November 20, 2016.
  10. "'Christine' Cast Album". AllMusic, accessed November 20, 2016.
  11. Rudolph, Jack (20 Jun 1960). "Records in Review". Green Bay Press-Gazette. Retrieved 3 May 2020.
  12. "Christine (Original Broadway Cast)". All Music. Retrieved 3 May 2020.