Christine (musical)

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 & Nobel prize winning author Pearl S. Buck, the musical premiered on Broadway in 1960.

Christine
Christine Playbill
MusicSammy Fain
LyricsPaul Francis Webster
BookPearl S. Buck; Charles K. Peck Jr.
SettingIndia
Basis"My Indian Family" by Hilda Wernher
PremiereApril 28, 1960: 46th Street Theatre
Productions1960 Broadway

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 didn't ever 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.[5] Rewrites on the libretto took much longer than expected, with a "final" version not being ready until 1959.[6]

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.[7] 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 can't 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 & Dr. Singh's wedding is taking place.[8]

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),[9] 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

Source: Internet Broadway database;[10] AllMusic [11]

Recordings

"Christine: Original Broadway Cast" was released in 1960 on Columbia Masterworks Records,[12] then re-released in 2002 on compact disc by DRG Records.[13]

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. Zolotow, Sam (4 Aug 1956). "Pearl Buck Doing Book For Musical". New York Times. Retrieved 2 May 2020.
  4. Kelley, Marion (7 Jan 1951). "Jack Palance Scores As Prime Menace". Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved 2 May 2020.
  5. Zolotow, Sam (4 Aug 1956). "Pearl Buck Doing Book For Musical". New York Times. Retrieved 2 May 2020.
  6. Gelb, Arthur (14 Sep 1959). "Pearl Buck Play Ready For Stage". New York Times. Retrieved 2 May 2020.
  7. Mallet, Isabelle (26 Aug 1945). "Raschid's Mother-in-Law". New York Times. Retrieved 3 May 2020.
  8. "Christine". The Guide to Musical Theatre. Retrieved 3 May 2020.
  9. 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.
  10. " 'Christine' Songs" ibdb.com, accessed November 20, 2016
  11. "'Christine' Cast Album" allmusic.com, accessed November 20, 2016
  12. Rudolph, Jack (20 Jun 1960). "Records in Review". Green Bay Press-Gazette. Retrieved 3 May 2020.
  13. "Christine (Original Broadway Cast)". All Music. Retrieved 3 May 2020.
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